


It Just Takes Time to Love

by olkariflower21



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Allura & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Daycare Worker Pidge | Katie Holt, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Idiots in Love, It’s honestly quite adorable, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance adores his daughter, Lance’s daughter plays Matchmaker, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Pidge is Good With Kids, Single Parent Lance (Voltron), Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:49:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29528058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olkariflower21/pseuds/olkariflower21
Summary: Working at a daycare was never the plan for Pidge but it pays the bills. Just enough for her to save up and get by until she enters the Garrison Technician Program. At least the kids are cute.Despite his friends pleas, Lance is not looking for love. All he wants to focus on is providing a good life for his four year old daughter, Ariela. Or so he thought, when a chance meeting occurs with one of his daughter's daycare advisors.Join Pidge and Lance as they fall in love and learn what it means to truly live.
Relationships: Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance (Voltron)/Original Female Character(s), Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt/Shiro
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Welcome to my first Plance fanfic. Even though this fandom is most likely dead, I got the inspiration to write this fanfic. This fanfic was inspired by "Crash Course in Love" by Zillion_thoughts which I recommend reading if you haven't done so yet. Hope you enjoy this first chapter and a kudos and comment are greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Also all of the characters in this fic are aged up:
> 
> Pidge-26
> 
> Lance-28
> 
> Allura-27
> 
> Hunk-28
> 
> Keith-26
> 
> Shiro-32
> 
> Matt-30
> 
> Shay-28
> 
> Romelle-26

If one thing was certain, it was that Pidge hated being late. Pidge stumbled through the parking lot of the Lion Daycare Center with paperwork of projects for the kids in her arms, and a tray of coffee for her and her coworkers. It wasn't an ideal job but it paid the bills.

Pidge just needed to hold out a little longer before she was financially stable enough to enter into the Garrison Technical Enterprises. Her dream job since she was a kid and one that her parents used to fantasize about getting. Her mother held a job as a biologist and her father worked as a scientist. Both were professions that Pidge was exposed to, however she had grown more of an interest in computer programming and technical engineering. 

The Garrison would able to allow Pidge to actually pursue that career and work with some of the most brilliant minds in engineering and science. However, getting into the Garrison was easier said than done. Despite Pidge’s degrees and work ethic, the Garrison’s evaluation was rigorous and one that Pidge needed to have a steady income to prepare for. The daycare was able to give Pidge a steady pay, whereas getting a job at any other engineering institution would keep her stuck in a job that would seemingly have no end and farther away from the Garrison, whereas Pidge knew she only needed a job for at least a year. Even though it was stressful, Pidge knew it would be worth the wait.

Pidge entered the Lion center relieved that she at least made it to work, even if she was 10 minutes late. The daycare center was a small building and resembled a tiny preschool. Decorated with the alphabet, cute pictures and art the children drew, and a plethora of toys and activities for the children could do. Pidge walked into the tiny classroom like area and set down her coffee at the main desk that was right next to her. Only to be bombarded by children hugging her short legs.

“Good morning Pidge!” 

“I missed you!”

“I lost my tooth last night!” 

“Your hair looks crazy! Did you stick your head out a window while driving?! My dog does that when we drive in the car! I want to do that but my mom said I would fall out the car.”

Pidge smiled at the children at her feet and quickly fixed her short and disheveled hair into a small ponytail. It didn't do much and her bands kept falling to frame her face and the round glasses that Pidge wore but it was enough. 

Pidge loved her job working with kids. She found them a joy to be around despite herself never really seeing herself have her own in the future. The daycare was available for kids that ranged from 2 years old to 10 years old. Most of the older kids would come to the daycare after school if their parents weren't available to but since it was summer, school was out which meant more kids to care for.

“Alright children. It's time to leave Pidge alone and go to the rainbow mat for storytime with Shay and Romelle.” said a voice that belonged to none other than Allura. Pidge looked up and smiled at her co-worker.

Allura looked gorgeous as ever and the children stared up at her in amazement like she was a princess. Her long, flowing white hair complimented her dark skin. Pidge adored Allura. She was her closest friend here at the daycare center and was the closest thing Pidge had to a sister.

The children ran off leaving the two co-workers alone. Pidge handed Allura her coffee and set her paperwork on the front desk.

“So is everyone here today?” Pidge asked Allura as she studied the sign in sheet.

“Yes.” Allura said. “Shay had to bring in Ariela this morning. Something about her father getting an early morning shift.”

Ariela was a four year old that had been with the center for about a year. A bubbly and sweet child that had grown quite fond of Pidge. Yet, Pidge had never met Ariela’s father. Pidge knew practically all of the parents but Ariela’s. All she knew wasthat Ariela was being raised by her single father and he was a close friend of Shay's boyfriend.

“Does this mean he’ll be able to pick her up in the afternoon or will Shay be taking her home again?” Pidge asked as she put away the sign in sheet and took a drink of her coffee.

“I’m not sure?” Allura said with a kind smile. “You know, if you came into work earlier, you probably be able to meet him.”

Pidge smirked at that comment. Allura, Shay, and Romelle knew Pidge wasn’t much of a morning person and they never held it against her that she was always late but it was a habit Pidge needed to break.

“How’s Matt doing?” Allura asked as her and Pidge sorted through the coloring book pages that Pidge brought in.

Pidge smiled at the thought of her older brother. He was Pidge’s best friend and they always kept in contact even though he lived practically two hours away. 

“Matt is doing good. Shiro and him just celebrated their seven year anniversary.” Pidge stated fondly. “I’m surprised Matt hasn’t proposed yet.He claims, the timing isn’t right but I call bullshit.”

Allura giggled at that comment and took the pile of coloring book pages that the two had finished. 

“You know Pidge, for someone who doesn’t date you seem to have a lot of opinions of how a relationship should work.” Allura commented playfully.

Pidge rolled her eyes in slight annoyance but she could never get upset when it came to Allura. “I’m 26 Allura, I have a lifetime to worry about dating. For now, I need to focus on getting into the Garrison Tech Program."

Allura gave Pidge a sympathetic look. Pidge was used to it though. Romelle, Shay, and Allura had been trying for almost a year now to set Pidge up on a date. While Pidge appreciated the thought from her friends, their choices never seemed to work out for Pidge and only lasted one date. They either were creepy, uninteresting, or they were jerks to her after she mentioned wanting to be a part of the Garrison Tech Program. 

"Alright, children!" The cheery voice of Romelle announced, "We will now go outside for some play time. Everyone line up in your assigned group area and your group leader will guide you to the playground."

Pidge and Allura sighed as they gathered their things to take the kids outside for the morning before the summer heat kicked in. Pidge was in charge of the 4-6 year olds while Allura took the 2-3 year olds, Shay took the 9-10 year olds and Romelle took the 7-8 year olds. Pidge went to her assigned group and threw on her Voltron High baseball cap to protect her face from the sun. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

"C'mon man. Just one date." Hunk groaned as he sat across from Lance in the restaurant break room.

Lance rolled his eyes as he took a bite of his sandwich. This had been the third attempt this week that Hunk had tried to persuade him into getting a girlfriend. 

"For the last time Hunk, no." Lance said as he swallowed his food. "I need to spend time with Ariela. I haven't had some father-daughter time with her since my schedules been so fucked. Its a miracle Sal was able to get me to have an earlier shift so I could pick her up at 3 today from daycare. Also tell Shay that I'll be able to pay her this week for taking Ariela home and to daycare last week." 

"I've already told you that you don't have to pay Shay!" Hunk exclaimed "She's more than willing to help out with Ariela. We both are. Which means we can watch her while you go on a date!" 

Lance groaned at the fact that Hunk wasn't giving up. Hunk had been his best friend since middle school and they were practically inseparable. They even worked together at the same restaurant "Vrepit Sal's". Hunk was a head chef while Lance was a waiter. The pay was nice and Lance always charmed customers to get some extra tips. Plus Sal had always been sympathetic towards him for the past three years he had been working there. 

He appreciated his life. Sure, being a single dad was hard but he had Hunk, Shay, and even his sister Veronica to help out. He wouldn't know where he'd be without them. Ever since his ex, Esme, died during childbirth, Lance worried that raising his daughter would be next to impossible but with the support system he had, things became easier. He loved Ariela. She was a spitting image of him and practically the light of his life. Yet, he felt bad that his work practically limited his time that he spent with his daughter. He had missed a few formative events in her life, mainly in her first year due to work, and even though it caused an ache in his chest, but Ariela loved him unconditionally and he knew working hard would give her a good life.

"Just think about it at least." Hunk pleaded with his best puppy dog eyes. "It would be good for you to go out every once in a while. Plus it would be nice for Ariela to have a mother figure in her life. You can't tell me you haven't at least thought about it?"

The truth was that Lance had thought about it. Many times. He'd imagine having back yard picnics with Ariela and another woman in his life. Maybe even a sibling that Ariela could spend time with. He'd imagine taking his new family to Cuba to visit his parents as well as his siblings who lived there. But Lance knew better to let his fantasy get the better of him. He was happy with Ariela and the life they had. A mother figure for Ariela was the last thing on Lance's mind. He was perfectly content on being both a mother and a father for his daughter.

"I don't have time to discuss this Hunk." Lance said in a tired voice. "I have to clock back in in like five minutes."

All Hunk could do was nod. He knew deep down that Lance was hurting. Despite the facade that his friend tried to display, he was a never the same after Esme died. He remembered all the times him and Veronica had to watch Ariela while Lance would grieve and sometimes he would get drunk and have a breakdown.

Sure the drinking and breakdowns ended but there was still a fear in Hunk and Veronica would worry that Lance would have a relapse. He knew his friend was lonely and yet would constantly do anything not to get to close to the women he tried to date after Esme, if that didn't stop them, then the sheer weight of having to become a mother to a young girl did. 

For now, all Hunk could do was keep pushing. He knew Lance would eventually cave in and try going out every once in a while. If not for himself then at least for Ariela.

* * *

It was 2 o'clock and Pidge stood behind a long table with a bunch of desks neatly displayed around the table. The desks were occupied with the eager 4-6 year olds. the rest of the kids were off doing their own thing. The toddlers were taking a nap in a smaller room that was in the building while the older kids were doing arts and crafts with Shay. 

Monday through Friday when Pidge worked, she would have a fun little activity of science experiments for the kids. The days would switch between the 4 to 10 year olds and she would take care of a specific group. Today she was demonstrating an experiment which involved raisins and club soda to the 4 and 6 year olds. 

"Alright kids." Pidge announced in her best pay attention voice. "Today you are in for a treat. This experiment is called "Dancing Raisins"."

The kids giggled at the name and eagerly looked at Pidge in excitement. It was a reaction that Pidge found great joy in. She loved how much the kids enjoyed her showing off cool experiments and getting them interested in science.

"In front of me I have a clear cup and I am going to pour this club soda in it." Pidge said as she gestured to the clear cup and liter of soda that was on the table.

Pidge slowly poured the soda in and put the cap in the liter before moving onto the next task by opening a small container of raisins.

"Now I am going to pour a handful of raisins in." Pidge continued and plopped in a few raisins. "Now everyone gather around as we wait for them to work."

The group of children rushed forward and surrounded Pidge and the desk in pure amazement. Within a minute the raisins began to jump up and down in the water and the kids all oohed and awed at the sight in front of them. 

"Pretty cool right!" Pidge exclaimed.

"Yeah!" all the children shouted. 

After a little while of the kids trying out the experiment in their own cups. Pidge started to cleanup and the kids moved on for another story time but this time it was with Allura. Pidge dumped all the cups and threw them away. She then snacked on the remaining raisins as she waited for the next task. It was now 3 and that meant some of the kids would be heading home. The daycare center closed around 5:30 and all of the kids would be gone by then.

Pidge pondered at what she could do after work. She had to go to the store and pick up some food for her dog Bae Bae. Maybe some actual food for herself as well and not a microwaved dinner. She also had to call Keith back for their weekly catch up. She needed to fill him in on Matt not proposing to Shiro, once again. The two of them had placed bets and by the looks of it, Pidge was losing.

As Pidge was lost in thought, she had realized that she had forgotten to take care of the now half empty liter of club soda. Pidge grabbed the soda and began to walk to the kitchen area in the building. The kitchen building was directed at a hallway near the front so Pidge tried to be careful as some of the children ran to their cubbies to gather their things before their parents arrived. 

Suddenly Pidge found herself stumbling slightly as she tried to avoid bumping into any kids. As Pidge tried to make her self not fall, she felt her entire body collide with a hard object. Pidge felt herself fall to the ground with object and the cap from the liter pop off causing soda to splatter all over her, the object, and the floor. Pidge focused her attention on what she slammed into only to find it to be a person.

This person was tall and lanky, he had tanned skin, blue eyes, dark hair, and he was someone Pidge did not at all recognize. The only thing Pidge knew was this man was handsome and here she was, after being clumsy had gotten them both wet with the club soda she was holding. 

_Shit!_ Pidge thought to herself as the man looked at her with slight concern.

"Quiznack!" Pidge exclaimed "I am so sorry sir!"

The man slightly smirked at the words that came out of Pidge's mouth. “Quiznack”, he hadn't heard that one before. Probably a “cuss” word that she used around the kids so they wouldn't pick up on an actual curse and repeat it. He stared at her with kind eyes.

"It's okay." He said. "I'm just glad you and the kids weren't hurt." 

The fact he included her in the sentiment made Pidge’s heart do a flip flop that she immediately snapped out of. Romelle arrived with some towels for Pidge and the man after walking out a perfect time to catch the unfortunate collision. The man slowly got up and accepted the towel and he held out a hand to help Pidge up. 

"I'm Lance." The man said "I'm Ariela's father. I don't believe we've met."

Well so much for first impressions. Pidge took his hand and slightly felt like an idiot. If only she had been paying better attention.

"I'm Pidge and no we haven't met." Pidge said "I usually arrive to work after Ariela arrives."

Lance began to wipe off some soda off his shirt. Pidge began to notice that he was wearing a uniform. A waiter's uniform. Shay did mention that Hunk and Ariela's dad worked at a restaurant together. The two of them stepped aside as Romelle mopped up the spilt soda on the ground.

"Well Pidge, it's a pleasure to meet you." Lance said happily. "I hope Ariela has been a good girl while she's here."

"Oh yeah. She's great." Pidge said enthusiastically as she dried herself up. "She's very talkative and a joy to be around."

For Pidge, Ariela was an absolute joy to be near. She seemed the most excited when Pidge did experiments and always had many science-related questions.

Lance smiled at the comment Pidge made. He couldn't help but stare at Pidge. She had big golden brown eyes, short, messy, boyish yet still feminine, light tawny brown hair, and freckles that danced around her cheeks. She wore a green tank top, white shorts, and faded brown sneakers. She was honestly very cute in Lance's eyes and she smelled like only what he can describe as a mix of Crayola paint and...roses? Yes. The unmistakable smell of yellow roses that bloom in the summer. 

"Yeah." Lance said in agreement. "You know she gets that from me."

Pidge giggled softly at his comment and Lance laughed along.

"Somehow I don't doubt that." Pidge said 

The two were then interrupted by none other than Ariela herself. Pidge had then realized how much Ariela resembled her father. They had the same face shape, smile, and hair. The only difference was the eyes. Ariela's eyes were brown. 

"Hi papa!" Ariela exclaimed as she hugged Lance's leg. She had her backpack and was all ready to go home. "How come you're all wet?"

Lance's eyes lit up at the sight of his daughter and he scooped her up into his arms.

"Had a bit of an accident with Pidge here, princess." He explained “But it's all better now that you are here.”

“Yay!” Ariela cheered. Which causes Pidge and Lance to giggle at the happy 4 year old. “I’m so happy you finally met Pidgey. Isn’t she the best?!”

“Yeah.” Lance said as he tried to amuse his daughter. “She’s awesome.” 

Despite the fact the Lance had barely met this woman, he could tell that his daughter had grown quite fond of her. She had no problem giving her a nickname and being affectionate, which even for an outgoing kid like Ariela, took some time. 

”Well it was nice to meet you, Lance.” Pidge stated not wanting to keep Ariela and her father from going home. “I should probably finish cleaning up before anymore accidents happen. I’ll see you tomorrow Ariela.”

“Bye Pidgey!” Ariela exclaimed.

Lance nodded and watch as Pidge walked away. He then realized how wet his clothes were and how uncomfortable he was starting to get. He then adjusted himself a little before starting a walk out to the car with Ariela in his arms. 

”Alright mi preciosa. What do you say we go home and change and then we’ll go out for ice cream with Tia Veronica after dinner.” Lance said as he began to walk out of the daycare center.

Ariela squealed in agreement and with that. The two of them braced the hot beating sun outside to venture on to an afternoon of fun. Little did Lance know that Pidge had been staring and smiling at him as he walked out of the daycare center with Ariela attached to his hip.

* * *

Pidge flopped on her couch as she had finished putting groceries away. It was already 5:00 and she was exhausted from work. Shortly after Lance and Ariela had left, Allura insisted that Pidge head home for the day since she was all wet and sticky from the soda. Pidge wasn’t complaining though. She still needed to go shopping so Allura letting her off early allowed her have enough time to plan a decent dinner for once.

Pidge dialed Keith and decided to talk on the phone with him while she made herself some chicken stir fry for dinner. She of course spilled the more mundane details about her day like being late, the hot weather she had to endure, and the science project she did for the kids, but it wasn't until she got to the point where she met Lance the Keith seemed to really have interest. 

"You did what?!" Keith exclaimed over the phone as Pidge told him about the soda incident. 

"Ugh! I know!" Pidge sighed as she stirred her vegetables and pieces of chicken in a pan. "I knew it was a bad idea worrying about the soda, but I didn't want the kids to somehow knock it over if I left it alone!"

“Was he cute at least?” Keith teased

"Not the point Keith!” Pidge exclaimed "but yes, he's very attractive"

Keith's chuckle over the phone relieved the tension that Pidge was starting to feel. No matter how close they were, talking about men was not Pidge’s forte. 

"Well the good thing is that he didn't get upset." Keith said "Anyway, how did Matt and Shiro's anniversary go? Do we need to add more money to the wager."

"Yep!" Pidge stated "I now am placing $100 to the wager. I'm saying that he won't ask until six months from now. Are you still sticking with three?"

"Definitely." Keith said "If there's anything I know about Matt is that he will cave eventually."

Pidge snickered at that comment. "I don't know. He's had a ring for almost a year and still hasn't done anything yet."

"True." Keith stated "Alright I have to get going. Kosmo needs a bath. But before I go I have to ask, are we still in for our monthly trip to the bar next week. I was thinking Saturday. Friday is Krolia's birthday and I know she wants to go out to eat."

"Yeah." Pidge said "Saturday should be good. I don't have work. Matt said him and Shiro are down to tag along. At least now I have someone else to worry about holding your mullet back when you throw up."

"That was one time!" Keith said defensively while Pidge laughed at her comment.

"Alright. Night Keith. I'll see you next Saturday." Pidge said

"Night Pidge." Keith said and with that, Pidge hung up the phone and finished up cooking her food.

After eating, Pidge mindlessly paced around her apartment completely bored out of her mind. She could watch tv but there was nothing good on that caught her attention. She could tinker a little more with fixing up her old computer, but she didn't feel like getting pricks or accidentally shocking herself in the process. Pidge then noticed Bae Bae laying by the front door. It usually meant Bae Bae had to go to the bathroom. It was still light outside and there was a park nearby her apartment that Bae Bae loved going to. Pidge figured a walk could simultaneously kill her boredom and tire her and Bae Bae out for the night. 

"You want to go for a walk Bae Bae?" Pidge asked

Bae Bae perked up from her spot and began to wag her tail furiously. Pidge smiled and gathered a jacket just in case they stayed out late, Bae Bae's leash, and her shoes. At least she had Bae Bae to always keep her company.

* * *

"Can we go to the park Papa?" Ariela asked as she ate her ice cream with pleading eyes.

Lance and Veronica wondered around aimlessly through the streets of downtown. It was almost time for the sun to set but it was still very warm for a summer evening.

"Sure princess!" Lance said "I think I saw one about a block away from here. What do you say Veronica?"

Veronica looked at her brother with amusement. Veronica loved spending time with Lance and Ariela and she loved to see how caring Lance was as a father. She still remembered the day Lance told her he was going to be a father. He was so scared and she worried that he would faint every time he talked about it. He had grown so much since. When Ariela was born he never wanted to stop holding her or interacting with her and as much as Veronica knew it was because he loved Ariela, it was also because he feared of losing her after losing Esme. 

"Sounds good to me." Veronica said. 

Ariela finished her ice cream and Lance gave her a piggy back ride to the park while Veronica followed them. The park was small but it had a big open grass field and and a bunch of concrete walking paths which was used for those who liked to jog or take endurance walks. Ariela rushed to the playground and Veronica and Lance sat at a nearby bench watching her.

"So what's this Ariela told me about an accident?" Veronica asked.

Lance playfully rolled his eyes. "It was nothing. I accidentally knocked into one of her daycare advisors and we got wet because she was carrying a liter of soda. Ariela said it was for a science experiment."

"Ah I see." Veronica said as she teasingly smiled at her younger brother. "Have you heard from Mama and Papi? They said that they wanted to come for Ariela's birthday in three months."

Lance's parents lived in Cuba as well as his brothers, Marco and Luis, Luis's wife Lisa, his niece and nephew Nadia and Silvio and his other sister Rachel. They used to live in the U.S. but they missed Cuba so much that they moved back to be with Lance's grandparents. Lance and Veronica missed their parents and siblings but they had already built content lives in the U.S. 

"Yeah." Lance said "Mom kept talking to me about all the ways she would spoil Ariela once she gets here. I figured her and Papi could stay at my place, I have a couple spare rooms so if anyone else comes then they can stay as well."

Veronica nodded at his answer and quickly changed the subject.

"How's Hunk?" Veronica asked 

"He's doing good." Lance said "He keeps convincing me to go out and try to find someone to date."

"So what's stopping you?" Veronica asked "He means well Lance. Dating could be good for you. It'd be nice to see you find someone."

"Veronica, please." Lance pleaded, slightly disappointed that his sister agreed with Hunk. "I don't need to think about that right now. Ariela is my priority, not a girlfriend."

"I'm just saying Lance." Veronica stated. Trying to be sympathetic towards his feelings. "You've been single for a while and I know you're too much of a flirt to not feel lonely. You used to be so happy. I'm not saying that Ariela doesn't make you happy but it would be nice to see you smile again."

Lance didn't say anything. He just watched Ariela as she played on the playground. Suddenly he noticed that something caught Ariela's attention. She quickly stopped playing and stared off at the field that was near the playground. 

Lance stood up and tried to see what she was staring at. Veronica then noticed and began to do the same. It was a dog. A short haired, light bull terrier. It was off a leash and playing with a ball. Ariela then ran towards the dog very eager. Alarms went off in his head and he began to chase after his daughter.

"Ariela!" He called but Ariela didn't listen. Suddenly he noticed that Ariela wasn't running towards the dog but the owner.

The owner that was none other than Pidge. She wore different clothes. She wore jeans, her brown sneakers from earlier, a white blouse with tiny flower decals and a brown belt was tied around her waist. Ariela cheerfully squealed at the sight of Pidge and hugged her leg.

"Pidgey!" Ariela exclaimed. 

Pidge was taken a back by the four year old. Out of all of the people she could run into, it had to be Ariela. Pidge wasn't complaining though, considering how happy the child was to see her, but the child hugging her leg did make her stumble a little. 

"Oh. Hi Ariela." Pidge said 

Pidge then noticed Lance who was calling Ariela's name, behind him was a woman. She had short dark hair, red lips, and she wore thin, rectangular glasses. She looked a lot like Lance so she could only assume it was someone he was related to. Lance approached them, out of breath.

"Ariela! You know better than to run off like that!" Lance exclaimed as he tried to catch his breath 

"Sorry papa." Ariela said as she feared that she was in big trouble.

"Just tell me next time. Please." Lance said. He then looked at Pidge. "Nice to see you again Pidge."

Pidge nodded. Bae Bae then approached the group and began to sniff both Lance and Ariela. Lance was a little startled by the dog.

"It's all right." Pidge explained "Bae Bae is very friendly."

The woman that Lance was with began to speak.

"Hi! I'm Veronica, Lance's sister." She said as she extended to her hand for Pidge to shake.

Pidge smiled at her and shook Veronica's hand. "Hi. I'm Pidge Holt. I work at Ariela's daycare."

"Can I pet your dog Pidgey?!" Ariela asked, completely ignoring the conversation that Pidge was having.

"Ariela, manners." Lance reminded his daughter, slightly embarrassed by his daughter's outburst."You need to say excuse me when people are taking."

Pidge chuckled as she looked down at Ariela. 

"Of course you can." Pidge said "You can even play fetch with her if you'd like. Just make sure to stay here where your father can see you. Bae Bae will bring you back the ball." 

Ariela's eyes grew with excitement and she grabbed Bae Bae's ball and wandered a foot away from the group to play fetch with Bae Bae. Lance stared at his daughter with slight concern. He knew he could trust Pidge considering the fact he practically trusted her with this daughter almost everyday but he still worried about her.

"Don't worry." Pidge said "Bae Bae loves kids. She's very gentle with them."

Lance smiled slightly as Pidge stared at him in reassurance. 

"I'll keep an eye on her." Veronica said, obviously wanting to leave the two of them alone to talk.

She walked off to where Ariela was and stayed by her while Pidge and Lance awkwardly stood across from each other. As she did show, she flashed Lance a subtle wink to tease her brother. It was rare at this point to see him with a woman or let alone talking to one who wasn't a customer

"So Pidge?" Lance began as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Is that a nickname or is that your actual name?

Pidge snorted at his question. "Pidge is my nickname. My actual name is Katie but I prefer to be called Pidge. It's just a something I've always preferred."

“Katie’s a lovely name” Lance smiled “I mean both are lovely and I think they suit you well”

Red flushed rapidly at Pidges cheeks. Usually if Keith or one of her guy friends made a comment like that she would give them a snarky reply or punch them, but Lance wasn't either one of them. He was a man who had a daughter, a daughter she watched 5 times a week. 

"Thank you" Pidge replied as casually as she could muster "I'd like to think so"

They stood in silence for a moment, watching Ariela and Veronica run and play with Bae Bae. It was a cute sight to see, especially when Ariela tackled the dog with affection and tried to get it to listen to her commands. Pidge was the first to speak. 

“Ariela is a cute kid. She's got a great imagination. I remember one time she got me in princess crown so she could be the knight fighting the dragon” 

Lance laughed at the thought of Ariela wielding a fake sword while Pidge was pretending to be helpless in a tiara. 

“She probably got that from being with me” Lance chuckled “Ariela always wants me to dress up like a princess for her”

“Oh really?” Pidge smirked “like the whole thing? With a crown and dress?”

“And makeup!” Lance added “i swear I had red lipstick and blue eyeshadow in my hair for a week after that”

The two laughed. Pidge could tell Lance adored Ariela and it warmed her heart that he was so interactive with her. She figured being a single father wasn't easy, but they way Lance talked about it, seemed like the best job in the world. The two went back and forth discussing Ariela’s artwork and general interests she seemed to be having. The conversation cut off when Pidge saw the time and the sky getting darker. She whistled for Bae Bae who ran right over to her immediately. 

“I need to get going” Pidge started apologetically she secured Bae Bae's leash “tell Ariela I said goodbye and I’ll see her later”

“Will do.” Lance smirked “It was a pleasure to see you again”

Pidge smiled before giving a final wave and walking off with her dog in tow. Veronica held a sleepy-looking Ariela as they watched Pidge walk further and further. Lance got lost almost in a trance. His chest felt warm and fuzzy and his stomach started to flutter at the thought of Pidges warm smile and rose scent. And that's when it hit and all Lance could think was

_Fuck._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the next chapter. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please feel free to give back some feedback. I would greatly appreciate it.

Pidge would be lying if she said that she hadn't hoped to see Lance again for the rest of the week, but that wasn't the case. He never came back to pick up Ariela from daycare. She always went home with Shay at the end of the day and Pidge always arrived to work late. Pidge didn't know why but she liked being around Lance. He was nice to talk to and Pidge found comfort in that. From what she could tell, he was a great dad, and ever since that day at the park Ariela kept bugging Pidge about playing with Bae Bae again.

"I don't know kiddo. You'd have to ask your dad." was all Pidge could say. 

As weird as it was to even think about spending time with Ariela outside of daycare, Pidge didn't seem to mind. Ariela was a great kid and they already had a great bond during their time at daycare. It wasn't weird for Pidge to want to see Ariela and her father outside of daycare. Right? Ok, Pidge had to admit, she had no idea why she wanted Lance to be tied to that idea but she assumed it was because if he wasn't present, it could be a little more strange. 

It was Sunday and Pidge once again, was bored in her apartment. She spent the whole morning working out and tinkering with some new projects. She was trying to make a little robot companion to present to the Garrison once she was able to apply. Pidge was never really a fitness person but Matt used to drag her to the gym when he was in college so she grew into a habit of at least taking better care of herself. Bae Bae was napping so Pidge didn't want to bug her dog for some company. Pidge almost considered taking a nap as well, then she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

It was a phone call from her mom.

"Hey, mom," Pidge said as she answered the phone.

"Katie. Are you busy?" Her mom asked. Out of all the people that still chose to call Pidge, Katie, it was her parents. Pidge liked it though. As much as she preferred Pidge, her parents still calling her Katie gave her comfort.

"No," Pidge said. "I've been just relaxing. I spent the whole morning working on my project to enter the Garrison. Why? Is something wrong"

"I need someone to come in and man the register. Coran called in sick so now I need someone to fill his shift. You don't mind right?"

Pidge's mom worked part-time as a Botanist professor and also ran a small produce and gardening shop in the downtown area. Pidge used to spend her teenage years working part-time with her mom. Her mom got all of her to produce from local farmers and even from her garden at Pidge’s family home.

"Sure." Pidge said "It would be nice to hang out at the shop again. I'll be there in fifteen minutes.

"Thanks, Katie! You are a lifesaver."

Pidge quickly hung up the phone and grabbed her things before she could head out. She also made sure to leave Bae Bae some food in case Bae Bae woke up from her nap hungry.

Pidge was excited to be at the shop. When Pidge was little she used to hate it because the gardening stuff and plants made her allergies act up but now, Pidge had grown out of it. Sure her allergies were still somewhat present but they weren't as strong as they were when she was a kid. Something about plants made Pidge happy. Well happy enough to get her to turn away from computers and robots for a few hours.

In under 15 minutes, Pidge entered her mother's shop. It was a cute shop where one half was like a grocery store filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and the other half was filled with gardening tools, fresh plants and flowers, bags of dirt and manure, flower pots, and even some seeds. There was a small outdoor section on the other side of the store where all the fresh plants were located. It smelled like the garden that Pidge remembered her mother growing when she was little. A scent that constantly reminded Pidge of her childhood. 

Pidge walked for a bit as she looked for her mother who was nowhere to be seen. She eventually found her checking the inventory of the flower pots and potted plants in one of the isles. 

"Katie!" the cheerful voice of Pidge's mom said as she welcomed her daughter with a warm hug.

"Hey, mom," Pidge said 

Pidge's mom looked at her daughter with admiration. Pidge had been always told that she looked like her mom. They had the same eyes, same face shape, yet Pidge had her father's hair color (well how it used to look before it turned gray) while her mom's hair was blonde. Her mother handed Pidge a work apron and Pidge's name tag that she made for Pidge when she was a teenager. Except the name tag said 'Katie' and not Pidge.

"So I need you to run the register while I handle some paperwork in my office. I have to grade some papers." 

"Sounds good mom," Pidge said and she tied her apron on and pulled her hair back. "I think I can handle looking over the shop for a few hours while you grade."

Pidge's mom gave her a nod and wandered into her office while Pidge wandered around the shop towards the cash register near the entrance. She even grabbed a few of the display bouquets and vases and put them around the front counter to catch customers' eyes as they checked out of the store. Ever since her allergies lost most of their strength, she enjoyed the smell of flowers, they calmed her in a sense.

While there weren't a lot of customers at the moment, Pidge didn't seem to mind. She just enjoyed being in the shop. A place where all the things in it reminded her of home.

* * *

For Lance, it was safe to say that he was having the worst three days of his life. Ever since that day with Pidge at the park, he couldn't get her out of his head. All he could think about was her. Her smile, the way her golden-brown eyes sparkled every time she looked at him, he even thought about the faint freckles that danced across her small nose. Lance knew it was silly but he wanted so badly to get the thought of Pidge out of his head. 

He had spent so long trying not to focus on women. Denying every time a customer tried to give him their number, or turning down every time Hunk begged him to go out and try dating, and yet here he was, thinking about a girl at the moment he least expected. Lance didn't need this in his life. No matter how kind, smart, and not to mention beautiful Pidge was. He needed to find some way to get over her but he knew that would be easier said than done.

"Lance?" Hunk asked as he noticed his friend lost in thought when he was supposed to be stocking the back room. "You okay?"

The sound of Hunk's voice seemed to be the one thing that pulled Lance back into reality.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine Hunk." Lance said, "Don't you have a stove to worry about?"

"No. I'm on my break. I was heading out back to give Shay a call and I noticed you were kinda spaced out for a minute." Hunk explained "Are you sure you're okay man? You've been kind of out of it for the past few days. You know I am here if you need me, right?"

Lance knew what Hunk was doing and Lance was not going to give him the satisfaction of being distracted because of some girl. 

"Yeah. I am fine Hunk." Lance said "Just a little tired. My parents made plans to come to visit for Ariela's fifth birthday in September and I have to start making plans to set them up in my guest room. It's been a while since I've seen them so I want everything to be perfect."

Hunk gave his friend a sympathetic look. Not really buying the story that he was telling but he didn't want to pressure Lance into telling him the truth. Lance would eventually tell him what was bugging him. 

"Don't worry buddy." Hunk said as he gave his friend a sympathetic nudge. "It'll all work out." 

Lance smile at Hunk. He was right. Things would work out for Lance. Eventually. They usually did.

"Lance! I need you to do me a huge favor!" the booming voice of Sal's said as he entered the back room. 

Sal was a burly big man. He always had an intimidating look on his face and always wore a bandana over his forehead. He was even bigger than Hunk, to the point where Lance had no doubt he could bench press Hunk as a warm-up. Despite his intimidating demeanor, Sal was a pretty chill guy.

"I need you to run to the local shop to get some produce. The truck was supposed to come in today but I've just been informed that there was an accident on the freeway and now we won't have any fresh produce for the next day or so." Sal explained as he held out a pair of car keys, a credit card, and a list. "I need you to take the company car to a local shop a few blocks away. It's called "Colleen's Grocery and Gardening Outlet”, I used to go there all the time before business starting going up. You can use my company credit card to pay for the supplies. Hunk, I am going to need you to go with him. He could use an extra pair of hands and I'll man the grill while you are gone."

Lance and Hunk nodded and grabbed the list of items from Sal in a rush. They had to be fast to get the items that Sal needed. Hunk took the driver's side while Lance took the passenger side. Lance put the name of the shop into his phone and Hunk drove as fast as he safely could until they got to the store. It was a quaint, small corner shop that could be easily missed if it wasn't someone's intended destination. There were small bouquets of flowers displaying in a window and the shop name was in fancy gold embroidery.

Hunk and Lance both entered the shop and rushed to the produce area that was easily seen when they entered. Hunk took a quick picture of the list, grabbed a shopping cart, and he quickly split up from Lance to cover more ground. Lance grabbed his shopping cart and wandered the rows of produce in front of him. He studied the list intensely, making sure to memorize the items so that way he could grab the correct ones. It probably made him look confused just standing there because he suddenly heard a voice behind him.

"Excuse me, sir? Is there anything I can help you with?" said an all to familiar voice

_ "You have got to be fucking kidding me,"  _ Lance thought to himself as he turned around only to face a pair of familiar golden-brown eyes.

Pidge jumped back slightly at the sight of Lance. Out of all the places she could run into him, it had to be at her mother's shop. She was surprised she didn't see him walk in, she was busy stocking up when she heard the bell of the front door opening so she missed him walking in. Lance looked startled and slightly stressed. He was wearing his work uniform so he most likely was either on a break or he had just finished a shift. 

"Oh..hi." was all Pidge could say as she felt a light blush dance around her cheeks.

Lance took a moment to study Pidge. He had finally realized how short she was compared to him as her head barely reached his shoulders. Then again, Lance was considered pretty tall, reaching the height of 6 ft. Pidge wore a grey tank top and a loose green plaid shirt that hung slightly off her shoulders revealing creamy, white, lightly freckled skin, over that was a small off-white apron, a pair of jean shorts, her usual sneakers, and a name-tag that said "Katie". Her messy hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and her face was framed with a few loose strands as well as her bangs. Her round glasses were slightly crooked and almost reached the tip of her nose. Lance felt a strong urge to adjust them but did everything in his power to refrain from doing so.

"H-hey Pidge." Lance managed to say "Surprise to see you here."

God, he wanted to die, but he forced a smile to not let it show. 

"You too." Pidge said "You seemed a bit confused. You need help with anything?"

"Um...I'm good." Lance said "Just a little stressed right now. My work was supposed to have a produce truck get delivered today but there was an accident so now I have to grab some items for the restaurant to use while we wait for another shipment in a couple of days."

"Aw, man. That sucks." Pidge said as she adjusted her glasses. "Well, I can help you grab some items since I seem to be keeping you from shopping."

Lance wanted desperately to say no. He didn't want to be around Pidge. He wanted to avoid her at all costs. It would be the best way to get her out of his head. Yet his stupid heart went the other direction and without thinking he said:

"That's a great idea. I would appreciate some help."

Pidge nodded and the two of them silently grabbed items and put them in the cart. Whenever Pidge leaned closed to Lance to catch a glimpse at the list, he would catch a whiff of the smell of roses that she carried with her. Lord help him. 

All Lance needed was a few bags of potatoes, over a dozen sweet onions, lettuce, and a couple of other vegetables. Pidge was very helpful at helping him get the best of the bunch. As the two of them grabbed items, Hunk appeared finished with his half of the list.

"Hey, Lance!" Hunk said "I just finished my half. You done ye-oh."

Hunk stopped for a moment and noticed Pidge. She was a cute, tiny little thing, she looked familiar but he couldn't place where he had seen her from. More importantly, she was helping Lance. His friend was alone with a woman. To see Lance around a woman was a rarity of that with pigs flying. Hunk almost felt like he was intruding. He felt thick and heavy tension between the two that he wasn't sure if he was imagining it

"Almost Hunk. Pidge here was just helping me." Lance explained. He then suddenly realized that they had no idea who the other was. "Pidge this is my co-worker and best friend Hunk and Hunk this is Pidge. She works with Shay and apparently here as well."

Pidge smiled at Hunk. She had heard many stories about him and had only seen pictures of him from Shay's phone. He was a lot taller than she expected. Then again, everyone was taller than Pidge, well except for children.

"Nice to finally meet you Hunk," Pidge said. "Shay's told me so much about you. Also, I don't exactly work here. This is my mom's shop. I'm just helping her cover a shift for one of her workers. He's out sick."

"Nice to meet you too, Pidge." Hunk said happily. "Shay's mentioned you as well. I'm surprised I didn't recognize you. She has a ton of work photos around the house."

"Oh," Pidge said "Well that's probably because I had long hair back then. I cut it back in January."

Lance felt himself getting nervous at the thought of Pidge with long hair. She was already so beautiful with short hair, he couldn't imagine her looking the same with long hair. He imagined she'd be almost ethereal looking with long hair. Long hair he could run his hands through and pu-Nope! No time for that!

“So how about you help Lance finish up and then I’ll ring you both up at the counter,” Pidge said snapping Lance out of his daze. He clearly missed the conversation she was having with Hunk.

”Yeah sounds good!” Hunk said cheerfully and Lance nodded and gave her a small smile.

Pidge smiled at the two of them and walked towards the front where the counter was. Lance was once again trapped in a daze as he watched her walk away and the familiar fluttering of butterflies returned in his stomach.

"Oh! I get it!" Hunk whispered to Lance making sure Pidge was far away enough so she couldn't hear them. He had clearly seen how Lance had been staring at her. "You like her!"

Lance turned to face Hunk taking note of the sheer excitement Hunk had on his face. 

"Shut up!" Lance whispered back. "It's not a big deal. It's just a small crush, it'll blow over in like a week."

"Sure, whatever you say!" Hunk said "In the meantime, I'll be planning your wedding. How do you feel about an outdoor wedding by the ocean?"

Lance playfully shoved Hunk and continued to finish grabbing items from the list. Once he was finished, Hunk and he went to the front to pay for the items, not wanting to waste any more time shopping. Lance once again, felt the butterflies again when he saw Pidge behind the front counter. The sun began to hit the front window, causing a yellow glow to enter the store, hitting the direction that Pidge was in. The light hitting Pidge and the flowers in vases that surrounded her added more to her beauty. Lance had to keep reminding himself to breathe with every sight that he took of her.

He quickly avoided looking her in the eyes by putting produce on the counter for her to scan. Hunk tried to make conversation with Pidge as she went through their item. Clearly understanding that Lance was trying to avoid her. Luckily Hunk knew how to push him in the right direction. 

"So Pidge. Other than working with my lovely girlfriend and helping out your mother, do you have any other jobs or interests?" Hunk asked.

Pidge blinked in surprise. No one had ever asked her that question before. 

"Um..yeah. I am currently trying to get into the Garrison Technical Program. I'm into robotics and computer engineering. I also enjoy the occasional gaming. Ever heard of Killbot Phantasm?" Pidge said hoping she didn't sound too much like the nerd that she was. 

Hunk perked up at the sound of that, knowing fully well that it was Lance's favorite game.

"Yeah! It's amazing. Lance and I used to play it a lot back in high school!" Hunk said enthusiastically. "Isn't that right Lance?"

Lance felt the strong urge to yell at Hunk to shut up. Was he trying to make things worse for him?!

"Uh..yeah." was all Lance managed to say. He briefly looked up and made eye contact with Pidge. 

He saw a certain light in her eyes as she smiled at him and Hunk. She was happy that they both knew about her favorite video game. 

"That's awesome!" Pidge said enthusiastically "I don't meet a lot of people who've played the game. Well other than my brother and his boyfriend. I even have the old console in mint condition."

Lance fought with every power in his being to not share in Pidge's excitement. He didn't want to give Hunk the satisfaction of that.

"No way! That's so cool!" Hunk said sharing Pidge's excitement. "I'm sure I'd speak for both Lance and myself when I say that I'd love to see it. It's rare to find such an old console like that in such good condition."

Pidge giggled at Hunk's comment and Lance felt his heartbeat rapidly. Her laughter was like music to his ears. He felt sweat start to form and his breathing hitch 

"Well, I'd be honored to show you two sometime," Pidge said as she finished scanning the last of the items. "You know when we're all not busy with work and such. Also, Lance, Ariela has been asking about seeing Bae Bae again. I think she's taken quite a liking to her."

Lance smiled at the thought of Ariela pestering Pidge about seeing Bae Bae. He didn't know why but he managed to find the whole thing to be quite endearing.

"I'll have to think about it. I rarely get a full day with Ariela so.." Lance started to say but he didn't know how to finish his sentence.

"Of course," Pidge said while giving him a kind, sympathetic smile.

Lance appreciated her understanding and not just because he currently felt very nervous around her. Pidge finished up calculating their total and Hunk paid with Sal's card.

"Well, it was nice finally meeting you Pidge." Hunk said as he grabbed the receipt from Pidge and Lance started to gather the items and walk towards the exit. "I'll have to ask Shay to invite you over for dinner one of these days. I have been known to be a very good cook."

"Sounds great!"Pidge said "Shay has my number so just shoot me a text when you'll be free. It was nice to meet you Hunk. Nice seeing you too Lance, tell Ariela I said hi."

Lance smiled at Pidge and gave her a small wave. 

"Sure thing. See you around Pidge." Lance said, although he was very doubtful he would be seeing Pidge again considering that he was trying to avoid her and forget about his newly developed feelings for her.

He and Hunk entered Sal's car after loading up the produce and drove to the restaurant in silence.

"She's very cute" Hunk egged on "sweet and a bit nerdy too. She's definitely likes Ariela as well."

"I know Hunk," Lance said keeping his eyes forward "She seems great but anything other than a friendship, at most, is all I can do for the moment. Look I know you want me to find someone and be happy, but I need to think through some shit."

Hunk could tell that Lance's feelings were bugging him but he decided not to push him on it. Eventually, things would work out or Hunk would consider intervening. Hunk was determined to help his friend find happiness one way or another.

* * *

**_~_ _ THE FOLLOWING  _ SATURDAY~ **

"Come on Pidge!" Keith groaned as he laid down on Pidge's couch. "Shiro and Matt are waiting for us and you know how much I hate being late."

Pidge quickly fixed her hair in her small bathroom. Her monthly bar night with Keith had arrived and she was ready for a night out with her best friend. Due to their conflicting schedules, Keith and she had arranged to at least hang out once a month. It wasn't ideal but it was something.

Pidge's week had been quite uneventful and stressful. Several kids this week had gotten hurt or had some sort of accident at daycare. One got sick from the heat from not drinking enough water which was very scary for Pidge, Allura, Romelle, and Shay to witness. Pidge even got glitter glue in her hair at one point. But Pidge was just happy that she made it through to the weekend. Pidge decided to gather half of her hair up into tiny little space buns, her bangs neatly combed, gently hitting the tops of her glasses, and the rest of her hair cascaded down the back of her neck. 

Pidge decided to be a little girly with her outfit when she went out. Despite her boyish demeanor, Pidge liked to wear girly clothes sometimes, it made her feel attractive. She wore a dark velvet green top with silver star decals on it, a black skirt with a black belt and a silver circle belt buckle in the middle, and a pair of black combat boots. Pidge even wore makeup. Not a lot though, just a little bit of mascara, blush, and pink lipgloss.

Pidge exited the bathroom and grabbed her purse.

"Finally!" Keith complained as he got up from the couch. 

Pidge was smiled at her friend. He looked the same as always. He wore his usual red jacket, a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and sneakers. The only thing different about him was that his mullet was slightly longer. 

"Oh hush!" Pidge said, "Beauty like this takes time."

"Whatever." Keith said as he sarcastically rolled his eyes "Let's go."

Pidge grabbed her black jacket, gave Bae Bae a goodbye pat, and headed out the door with Keith behind her. Luckily there was a bar a couple of blocks near Pidge's apartment. It was one that she and Keith often chose to frequent. It was considered their usual hangout spot, plus since it was close by, all they had to do was walk if the other got super drunk.

The weather was fairly warm at night due to the heat throughout the say but Pidge brought her jacket just in case. Pidge and Keith walked side by side not saying a word. The thing about their friendship was that sometimes things didn't need to be said. They just had a mutual understanding that they were always there for each other no matter what.

Once Pidge and Keith entered the bar they noticed Matt and Shiro sitting at a circular booth. Pidge was happy to see her brother as well as Shiro. She had known Shiro practically her whole life and she had already considered him family even though he and Matt weren't married just yet.

"Hey, Pidge! Hey Keith!" Matt said as he noticed them. He quickly got up from his seat and gave them both quick hugs.

Keith then gave Shiro a brief hug and slid into the booth. Pidge did the same but quickly got her and Keith some drinks. Keith preferred beer while Pidge went for a mojito, her favorite drink of choice. Pidge then returned to the booth with their drinks and sat next to Keith at the end of the booth.

"So?" Matt asked as he took a quick drink from his beer. "How have things been going?"

* * *

Lance was finishing braiding Ariela's slightly damp hair for the night. He ran his fingers softly through her long dark brown hair as he gathered the strands. It was one of his favorite things to do with Ariela. Braid her hair.

"Do you have to go?" Ariela asked as she began to curl up into bed.

Lance didn't know how it happened but Hunk had somehow convinced him to go out with him and Shay for the night. It took a lot of begging but Lance finally caved. They were just going to go out to a bar for the night. Sure, Lance used to have a drinking problem but he hadn't abused alcohol in over three years and could handle having one drink every now and then. Plus, Hunk was really good at keeping track of his drinking habits so he felt safe going out with them for the night.

"Uncle Hunk and Aunt Shay want to celebrate for the night," Lance explained. It was true. Hunk had gotten a raise for doing so well at the restaurant and it looked like he was on his way to becoming assistant manager. "Tia Veronica is here and I'll be back soon. You'll be fast asleep by then."

"Okay." was all that Ariela said. Her eyes were slightly drifting off into sleep. 

"Goodnight princess. Love you." Lance said as he kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Papa?" Ariela asked sleepily. "If I'm a princess, does that make you a king?"

Lance softly smiled at his daughter's question.

"I guess so,” Lance said trying to amuse his daughter.

“So mama was a queen?” Ariela asked.

It was rare when Ariela asked about her mother. As much as Lance didn’t like talking about her, he was always open to answering his daughter’s questions.

”Yeah...she was.” Lance said.

”Do you ever think about having another queen?” Ariela asked.

”Where are you getting this from?” Lance asked. Ariela never asked these types of questions.

”Well, Michael from daycare said that his dad married another woman so now he has another mom. His first mom died like my mama did.” Ariela explained.

It all made sense to Lance now. Sure he expected these types of questions later in life but he knew he could never avoid them.

”I don’t know princess. Maybe someday?” He said, “Would that be okay with you?”

Ariela nodded softly as she quietly fell asleep. Lance felt his heart swell slightly at the sight of her. He loved his daughter so much and hoped that this would be the and of her questions, at least for now.

Lance left Ariela's room, gave Veronica a quick goodbye, and went outside to wait for Shay and Hunk to pick him up. Lance owned a small house but nice in a suburban area of town. His parents bought it for him as a gift when he announced that they were going to be grandparents. It was a gift that both Esme and he adored. He still adored it but sometimes it made him sad to think about all the times Esme would go on and on about ways they could remodel it or make it a home for generations. 

Hunk and Shay arrived at his house within a few minutes. Lance likes Shay. She was fun to be around and was definitely perfect for Hunk. She was dressed in a terracotta floral dress and her short brown hair was curled slightly. 

The three of them arrived at the bar within ten minutes or so. Lance couldn't really tell considering he was lost in thought in the back seat the whole ride there. The bar was quaint and one that Lance had not been to. According to Shay, she had been recommended it by a friend. The bar was quite full so it was pretty clear it was popular. Lance was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts once more by a familiar voice.

"Shay?" said the voice.

Lance looked to his right and at a circular booth close to the bar was Pidge alone with some other people he didn't recognize. A guy with a mullet and a brooding face, a guy who looked very similar to Pidge. He was practically her twin and another guy with awesome bi-colored hair that was black with white bangs. Pidge looked absolutely breathtaking. She was even wearing makeup which enhanced her beauty. Of course, she was here. Lance was almost becoming certain that him running into Pidge would be happing more frequently. She got up from the booth and walked forward to hug Shay. 

Pidge was thoroughly surprised to see Shay here. She also was happy to see Hunk and Lance, well mainly Lance. Pidge couldn't deny that there was some attraction she felt for him. It was something that scared her but also intrigued her stupid brain. She wished they weren't a thing but every time she saw him, she felt herself gravitating toward him like a magnet. 

"What are you doing here?" Pidge asked 

"Oh well, we are out celebrating. Hunk got a promotion at work and we decided to go out for a drink." Shay explained. 

"That's awesome!" Pidge said "Congratulations Hunk!" 

"Thanks, Pidge" Hunk said. 

Suddenly Pidge remembered that her friends and brother were right behind her probably confused. She turned around and began to give introductions.

"Oh, Shay, Hunk, and Lance. This is my older brother Matt, his boyfriend Shiro, and my best friend Keith." Pidge said "Guys. This is my co-worker and friend Shay, her boyfriend Hunk, and his friend Lance."

Pidge tried to ignore the look Keith suddenly gave her as she uttered Lance's name. She reminded herself to kick his ass later for that. 

"Nice to meet you all" Shiro said. "We heard something about a promotion? Congratulations. Why don't you all join us? The more the merrier right?"

"Oh, we don't want to impose." Hunk said trying to be polite.

"I insist." Shiro said "Any friend of Pidge is a friend of mine. Right guys?"

Matt and Keith nodded and they all piled into the booth. Lance quickly excused himself to the bar and grabbed himself a rum and coke before sitting in the booth. Pidge didn't know how it happened but she ended up sitting next to Lance who was at the end of the booth when he returned with his drink. Next to her was Shay and Hunk. Keith looked a little uncomfortable being squished in the middle but Hunk's gentle smile calmed him down slightly.

"You all stay here," Shiro said as he got up from the other end of the booth. "I'll get some drinks."

The group all stayed at the booth in silence. Well until Hunk broke it. 

"So Matt? How long have you and Shiro been together?" He asked 

"Seven years. We just celebrated our anniversary." Matt said 

"That's great!" Hunk said. "Congrats."

Matt smiled at Hunk with appreciation. At least Hunk didn't ask about them being engaged like others had before. 

Soon Shiro returned with a giant tray of shots for them all to share.

"I propose we take some shots in celebration!" Shiro announced as Hunk got all excited. 

"OOOOH! I like where your head is at!" Hunk said. "You are now officially my new best friend. No offense Lance."

Lance put his hand to his heart and pretended to be wounded.

"I'm hurt Hunk!" Lance said dramatically.

“How long have you two been friends?” Matt gestured to Hunk and Lance as he picked up a shot. 

“Since 7th grade.” Hunk answered proudly “Our mothers were friends first, but since then we've been inseparable. In fact, if it wasn't for this guy, I wouldn't have had the confidence to ask out my lovely lady” 

Shay playfully shoved Hunk and blushed profusely as everyone else awed at them.

“Well here's to friendship. Old and new!” Shiro declared as with a quick raise of his glass 

Everyone downed their shots of liquor in unison. Lance coughed slightly after doing so, causing Pidge to giggle a bit. 

“You okay?” Pidge asked while the rest of the group went on a debate about some video game.

“Yeah” Lance chuckled “just- fuck I haven't downed vodka in a long time”

“Pace yourself then old man” Pidge teased. Pidge didn't know why but she felt more bold being around Lance and she wanted to talk to him. Maybe even be his friend.

Lance gave her a quizzical look before laughing and shooting her a smirk

“First of all, I'm only like what two years older than you?” Lance replied, “Second I'm sure I've partied way more than you in general.”

Pidge rolled her eyes “Engineer majors know how to get down. We have it in with some fraternities."

"Sure that wasn't because of your pretty face and glasses?" Lance teased as he began to regain his breathing from coughing and took a sip from his rum and coke.

"I'm sure you make the prettier girl out of both of us" Pidge replied boldly 

The two of them went back and forth drink after drink and shot after shot. Lance noticed Hunk and Keith watching them as they continued to laugh and flirt. Hunk looked over at Keith and they both knew they were seeing the same thing when everyone else wasn't. Hunk got a little worried though. Seeing Lance take so many shots. It was a little more than his usual cap which was just one. 

Hunk then decided to try and grab Lance's attention away from drinking. That's when he noticed an untouched dartboard that was near their booth. 

"Hey, guys!" Hunk said loudly, gaining everyone's attention. "How do you all feel about a friendly game of darts?"

"Sure." Keith said, "It would be nice to try and beat Pidge at something that doesn't include technology."

Pidge's smile quickly faded and gave Keith a very serious look. 

"Oh, it's on, Mullethead," Pidge said in a low voice. Lance was almost scared by her changed demeanor but he figured this was an inside thing between her and Keith.

"I got money on Pidge," Shiro said with a smirk.

Lance then moved out of the booth and allowed Keith and Pidge to exit the booth and take their positions in front of the dartboards. 

"This should be good," Matt said. "It's been a while since I've witnessed a Keith and Pidge showdown." 

The rest of the group smiled at that and stared at the two completely forgetting about the shots in front of them. Eager to see where their current battle would lead. Pidge took the first move and thew her darts the board. She did excellent, almost getting each dart directly in the middle.

"Nice one Pidgeon." Keith said with a smug look on his face. "Though it appears your calculations appear to be slightly off."

Pidge playfully rolled her eyes at Keith as he grabbed his darts. He steadily took his aim and through them which ended up getting one point ahead of Pidge. Keith gave Pidge a wink while Pidge stuck her tongue out at him.

"Eat me, Keith!" Pidge said. She hated when Keith would get smug. It brought out her competitive nature. "You may be leading now but I will crush you into the ground." 

Keith snickered, knowing fully well that he was getting to Pidge. "Aw, is that a promise!" he retorted back.

The group smiled and laughed at the banter between the two friends. Well everyone, except Lance. Lance didn't like to feel jealous and yet here he was. Completely annoyed by how Keith acted around Pidge. The winking, the playful and slightly flirtatious banter, all of it was getting to Lance. Maybe it was the alcohol talking because deep down he didn't really believe anything was going on between Pidge and Keith. Deep down he knew that. So why was it so hard to not feel the anger and envy that was rising throughout this entire body.

Luckily, it did end. It ended when the game ended and Pidge of course did claim victory. Shiro ended getting $100 from both Matt and Hunk and Pidge took two more shots in celebration of her victory. Pidge noticed Lance hanging back and walked over to accompany him 

“You alright?” she asked “You look a little sick?

“Yeah” Lance assured smoothly, “I think I just need some food. An empty stomach isn't helping the alcohol”

“Okay, sit down and stay here” Pidge soothed “I’m going to go get you some food.”

Lance opened his mouth to object, but he complied and sat down at the table. Pidge returned with three baskets of wings and two of garlic fries. The rest of the group went off to dance, leaving him and Pidge alone.

“A woman after my own heart!”Lance exclaimed at the site of the food

Pidge smiled and scooted a little closer “Wings are always a good mix with drinks.”

Lance snacked on a bit of everything. Pidge got him another Rum and Coke and herself a drink to combat the food they were eating. Lance was appreciative of her staying with him. He was enjoying her company and felt calm around her. He felt almost bad for being so cold to her over something as simple as an attraction. 

Pidge began to feel very warm and a little dizzy. No doubt she was getting tipsy and couldn't help but giggle and look dopey in front of Lance.

“You're so drunk” Lance insisted. Lance thought Pidge being drunk was one of the most adorable things he had ever seen in his life. 

“No way!” Pidge slightly slurred trying to sit up straight. “I know how to handle my alcohol pretty boy.”

“Look we both know I'm pretty,” Lance said smugly “but I know for a fact that you are drunk”

“I’m not that drunk. Sure, your perfect face is a little blurry but I'm good” 

“So you like my face?”

Pidge matched Lances smirked and got close to him.

“It is unfair how good your genes are.” she attempted to say seriously but started giggling.

_ God  _ Pidge thought to herself. She really had no control over the words she was saying. She would regret that in the morning

Lance couldn't help but burst into laughter as well. They were both unaware of how close their foreheads were.

“You have really pretty eyes” Lance admitted before taking a drink of his liquor.

“They aren't anything like yours.” Pidge smiled “Yours are like oceans.”

“Okay, but they are one solid color. Yours are this golden color that's almost as like a kaleidoscope.”

Lance thought for a moment after saying that and then moved away from Pidge a little. This was the sloppiest flirting ever but something about it made him warm and his cheeks flush.

Pidge, however, got closer to him every time he got closer to her. This only made Lance blush even worse. He had no idea what to do. Pidge was clearly drunk and he didn’t want to take advantage of that, because he was only slightly tipsy yet fully aware of what was happening.

”I like talking to you, Lance.” Pidge said in an almost dreamy voice. Like she was mesmerized by something about him.

”I-I like talking to you too, Pidge.” Lance said. Suddenly feeling very nervous about where this was heading.

Pidge then slowly put a hand on Lance’s leg. Lance screamed internally as he felt the warmth of Pidge’s hand on his leg.

”Lance?” Pidge asked as she looked at him intensely.

”Y-Yeah?” Lance whispered. Full panic mode suddenly setting in. Was this actually happening?

Pidge then began to lean in closer to Lance. Their faces only inches apart. Her eyes never leaving his. Lance knew he should intervene and stop Pidge but he caught a whiff of her rose scent and suddenly he was a goner.

The moment, however, was quickly over as a loud crashing noise was heard by the bar causing both Pidge and Lance to look at what happened.

Matt was by the bar on the ground, laughing. He was clearly, very drunk. Shiro was laughing at him and also very drunk as he took a shot that was in his hand.

”Shit.” Pidge said to herself as she slightly sobered up at the sight of her brother.

Lance and Pidge both exited the booth and went over to Matt and Shiro. Keith helped Matt up off the ground and Hunk and Shay looked slightly concerned.

”I think they’ve both had a little too much to drink.” Hunk said as Pidge and Lance stood by him.

“I can take them home,” Pidge said. “My apartment is only a couple blocks away.”

“Let's hurry.” Keith pleaded as he held Matt who was leaning sickly against him “I think Matt’s going to be sick.”

Pidge grabbed their things from the booth and walked outside as the rest followed. Hunk carried Shiro over his shoulder while Keith carried Matt. Shiro and Matt were too busy laughing at nothing. The air outside was slightly cool which managed to sober Pidge up a bit more.

”Lead the way Pidge!” Hunk said.

“Actually, I think I’m going to head home,” Lance said.

Everyone turned to face him. As much as Lance wanted to help, he couldn’t. For one thing, he was a little bit uncomfortable with how drunk Matt and Shiro were. It reminded him too much about how he used to abuse alcohol. Another reason was that he wanted to keep his distance away from Pidge. She had almost kissed him and as much as he wanted it. He was terrified of where it would all lead.

”Are you sure?” Hunk asked.

”Yeah.” Lance said. “I have to go check up on Ariela. I told Veronica I’d only be gone for a few hours. I don’t want to worry her.”

“It was great seeing you.” Pidge piped up as she gave Lance a small wave goodbye.

“You too.” Lance stammered. Getting looks from both Keith and Hunk. The raised eyebrow and smirk look that read “ _ oh this is good!” _

Shay, being the only sober one in the group. Offered to give Lance a ride home and she would pick Hunk up at Pidge’s apartment after.

Everyone said goodbye to Lance and walked off to Pidge’s apartment. While the rest stumbled their way towards Pidge’s place, Pidge couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous Matt and Shiro were acting. Pidge had only seen her brother drunk a couple of times and it was honestly quite amusing.

“I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster.” Shiro hiccuped 

“Keith! When did you get taller?!” Matt slurred “I swear you were about 3 inches shorter than me”

“Matt can you kindly shut the fuck up?” Keith managed to say holding his laughter “You’re going to wake up the neighborhood”

“Don't tell my baby to shut up.” Shiro grunted “At least he doesn't have a mullet...Hunk do you have to shake me so much?”

“Shiro I'm just walking?” Hunk muttered “Oh God. Please don't throw up on my back!”

Finally, they all made it safely into Pidge’s apartment. Hunk and Keith dumped Matt and Shiro on Pidge’s couch and Bae Bae curiously sniffed everyone.

”Aw. Your dog is adorable Pidge!” Hunk said as he pets Bae Bae.

”Yeah. Bae Bae is the best.” Pidge said as she grabbed a few water bottles from her fridge. “It’s almost hard leaving her home sometimes.”

As Pidge returned to the living room, she was surprised to find her brother off the couch and Shiro sitting upright on the couch. Matt looked doused in sweat which she couldn't decide if it was concerning or funny. 

”I love you, Shiro!” Matt slurred as he leaned against Shiro’s leg that was in front of him.

“I love you too, even though you're really fuzzy right now.” Shiro giggled

“We should go to Vegas and just get married.” Matt laughed

“Can Hunk be the flower girl tho?” Shiro hummed “Not because it’d be funny, but look at him. He's adorable”

Pidge, Keith, and Hunk tried their hardest not to laugh at the sight in front of them. However, that laughter soon faded when Pidge suddenly saw Matt pull out a ring from his pocket. The one that he had been carrying on him for about a year.

”Will you marry me?!” Matt asked while very much, intoxicated.

Shiro didn’t hesitate for one second and shouted out:

”Yes!”

The trio stared at the couple with their mouths dropped to the floor. They just stood there in shock as Matt slipped the ring on Shiro’s finger and as he sloppily kissed him.

”Well..” Keith said breaking the silence. “You owe me $1000, Pidge.”

Pidge was totally going to kill her brother in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next chapter. Remember to leave a kudos and a comment. Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Just wanted to say thank you for all the kind words and kudos. Also this fanfic had gotten over 100 hits which makes me very happy. I'm glad to see that people are intrigued by this fanfic and enjoying it. Enjoy this next chapter and a comment and kudos are greatly appreciated!

Morning light peered into Pidge’s bedroom window causing her eyes to flutter. Her head was pounding slightly from the events of the night before. Memories started flooding back to Pidge. Catching up with her brother and Shiro, beating Keith at darts, Matt getting drunk and proposing to Shiro, almost kissing Lance.

Fuck! She had almost kissed Lance! Pidge groaned at her own embarrassment. God, why was she acting so stupid?! How was she going to be able to face him again knowing that that had happened?!

Pidge wanted to curl up in her bed and never come out. To hide forever in her little cocoon where she would be safe from further embarrassment. That was until Keith barged into her room frustrated. 

Shortly after the whole proposal, Shay came by and picked up Hunk, and Keith, Shiro, and Matt crashed at Pidge's. In luckily Pidge had a blow-up mattress for Keith but since her apartment was so small, she had to put it in the kitchen so he wouldn't have to sleep near Shiro or Matt who had taken up the couch.

"Wake up," Keith grumbled and he threw an object at her bed. Something cold.

Pidge peaked out of her covers only to find that it was a cold water bottle. Pidge groaned again as she forced herself to slowly sit up and take sips of her water. Luckily, she felt no nausea which was a good sign. Keith plopped on the end of her bed and sat across from her. His hair was all messy and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"You look like shit." Pidge snickered as she took another sip from her water.

"You're one to talk." Keith snapped, clearly not having a good morning.

"Who pissed in your cereal?" Pidge asked.

"Your brother and Shiro," Keith said. "They spent an hour last night making out before falling asleep and then Matt woke me up by running into the kitchen and puking in your kitchen sink."

"Lovely." Pidge scoffed. Now she had to worry about cleaning that later. 

Keith nodded in agreement as he took a drink of water.

"Well, I'd say this month's outing has not been the worst," Pidge said trying to be a little positive.

Keith chuckled. "Yeah like that one time we both woke up in your tub."

"Ugh. That was horrible. I had dried vomit in my hair." Pidge replied as she cringed at that memory.

"So.."Keith trailed off. Uh oh. Pidge knew that it was not a good sign he was doing that. "You and Lance? What was that all about last night?"

"Nothing!" Pidge sneered "Nothing happened. Although I may have almost kissed him last night."

"What?!" Keith gasped eyes lighting up. "No way! Oh, I've got to tell Hunk about this later. Pidge! This is huge!"

Pidge rolled her eyes at Keith. "Hunk? When did you become buddy buddy with him?"

"Last night. We exchanged numbers before we found Shiro and Matt getting wasted. Him and Shay are pretty cool. I mean I've met Shay before since you've known her since you were little. But we never had a full conversation until last night."

"Well, you can tell Hunk that nothing happened and nothing is going to happen."

"Why not?! You like Lance and I'm pretty sure he likes you, Pidge. Why can't anything happen between the two of you"

"It's complicated," Pidge murmured and Keith decided to leave it at that for now.

Honestly, Pidge didn't exactly have a good answer to that. In truth, Pidge was scared. She had rarely ever opened up herself to people that wasn't her family and friends. She was always skeptical about the topic of love. What it meant to completely give yourself to another person because it could lead to heartbreak. Pidge didn't want to deal with heartbreak. It was meaningless in her eyes and would get in the way of important things like her getting into the Garrison. 

Keith and Pidge finally got out of bed. Keith mumbled something about going to the kitchen while Pidge went to the bathroom to see how terrible she looked. Her hair was messy as usual but her face was a mess. Despite wearing minimal makeup, her mascara smudged her eyes while she slept and made her look like a raccoon. Pidge quickly washed her face and fixed herself from the day. Even though she had a headache, she still wanted to feel a little bit better to start the day. Pidge then wandered in the living room only to find Shiro and Matt sitting on the couch spacing out as they probably tried to process everything that happened last night. Bae Bae sat at their feet. Looking up at them in concern.

"Hey guys," Pidge said as she sat down on the couch next to them. "I'm going to take Bae Bae out for a walk and then we can all get some breakfast."

"Don't bother. " Matt piped up. "I already took her out and I fed her."

"Oh. Thanks." was all Pidge could say.

There was then an awkward silence among everyone.

"So we are engaged," Matt said slowly. Still trying to process everything.

"Yeah," Pidge said sympathetically as she put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I know. We witnessed it. You also cost me $1000."

Keith snickered at that and so did Shiro. Matt, however, didn't look amused.

"So are you guys going to go through with it?" Keith asked.

Shiro and Matt looked at each other. They hadn't ever asked each other that yet but it was clear that they both truly loved each other. They had been together for seven years and they already acted like a married couple.

"I mean, I'm ready if you are," Shiro said as he looked at Matt.

Matt smiled at Shiro and started to laugh. "Are you kidding? I've had that ring in my pocket for a year Shiro. I've been ready for a long time."

Shiro smiled at Matt and tears began to well up in both of their eyes. The two men nodded in understanding and embraced. Pidge smiled at her brother and Shiro, happy that they were finally going to get married.

"Yay!" Pidge said as she joined in on the hug and wrapped her arms around the two. "Mom and dad are going to be so happy when you tell them!"

"Oh shit." Matt said as it all dawned on them "I still have to tell them. They are not going to be happy that I got wasted."

Pidge, Keith, and Shiro laughed at that, feeling slightly bad for Matt. Yeah, this wasn't the worst morning of a monthly outing Pidge had been witnessed.

* * *

Lance was really feeling the stress of his workweek. It had been only a few days since the bar night with Pidge and luckily he was so tired that he didn't really think about it. He had nothing but night shifts this week and even though Sal was understanding, this happened on occasion when a night worker quits. Luckily, Sal assured Lance he would only have to do this for about a week

Lance was lucky he had Veronica. She offered to let Ariela spend the night at her apartment for a couple of days and Lance agreed because he just felt too tired to put her to bed early without her throwing some form of a tantrum. Ariela was generally a well-behaved kid, but if there was one thing she didn't tolerate was an early bedtime. 

Lance came home exhausted from his shift and smelled like fry grease. Nothing a hot shower could fix and before he knew it he was back to a calming scent of soap and his body feeling a bit more relaxed. He got out of the bathroom in his boxers and slumped into his bed. Groaning as his phone buzzed. A text from Hunk. 

**Hunk:** I hope you're doing ok buddy. Night shifts are no fun. 

**Lance:** Thanks, buddy. I'm alright just tired

 **Hunk:** well at least we had fun at the bar with Katie :)

 **Lance:** Katie? Oh you mean Pidge

 **Hunk:** Yeah! Sorry for the confusion. Shay gets a pass to call her Katie, they've known each other since kindergarten. 

**Lance:** I see. Well, I've got to sleep. Night Hunk

 **Hunk:** Night buddy! :)

Lance tossed his phone onto his nightstand and rubbed his tired eyes. He just wanted to sleep but now his mind was plagued by the thought of his night with Pidge. Her laugh. Her cute smile. The way she smelled. How they almost kissed. It all just haunted him. Somehow Lance was able to sleep, but that didn't mean his thoughts were free of Pidge. 

_The dream started with Lance sitting up in his bed. That's all he could make out because his other senses were busy with the warm body on top of him. A pair of hot lips attacked his and legs rested at his sides. Fingers interlocked in his hair and panting breathes exchanged. The kiss broke for him to see Pidge staring at him with a smirk. She removed her hands from his hair and pinned his hands down over his head. For someone of her size, she was incredibly strong._

_Her short hair was unruly and Lance desperately wanted to run his hands through it. Yet she prevented him from doing so as she tightened her grip on his wrists as he tried to move them. She was naked from the top, only wearing a pair of black pajama shorts on her bottom half. Her skin was lightly freckled and her breasts were small and round. She was even wearing her glasses and they were almost about to fall off her face. She was absolutely breathtaking._

_“That all you got, pretty boy?” She giggled as she grinded her hips to his causing Lance to throw his head back slightly as arousal began to overtake him. He could feel that she was just as aroused as he was at the moment._

_If there was one thing Lance couldn't tolerate it was cruel teasing. At least, that was true for this because soon he wrestled Pidge till she was on her back below him and his hands were free. Lance started to suck down her neck and running his hands through her soft hair, getting whimpers and moans out of her. Pidge’s short nails traced his back and she began to make sure she was close to his ear._

_“Can I please fucking touch you?” Lance grunted_

_A small whimper came out of her lips “please do”_

_Lance's hands spent no time to waste when it came to her body. He groped at the places his hands desired as he dug his erection up against her_

_“Fuck, you feel good.” Lance groaned as his hands traveled all around her body._

_His hands kept exploring the more he got noises out of her. He couldn't help but crave to just feel her. Her hips. Her breasts. Her ass. Her thighs. He just wanted to keep his hand all over her and soon Pidge took his hand and moved it into her shorts, greeting his fingertips with the wet mound of her pussy._

_Lance moved his fingers, teasing her ever so slightly. Pidge moaned sweetly with every movement he made. Her hips bucked and squirmed as she craved for him to do more. To go deeper in her._

_“God Katie,” Lance murmured into her neck getting sighs of pleasure and excitement from her._

_And oh how he loved hearing her name leaving his lips and it appeared that she did as well. The rhythm of her hips sped up as his fingers rubbed against her, making noises slip out of both of them. All Lance wanted right now was this. All he wanted was her. Katie. Katie. Katie!_

Lance jolted awake with a gasp for air.

“What the fuck?!” he said still breathing heavy

Lance checked himself, he very clearly was covered in sweat and had pitched a tent in his boxers which annoyed him more than anything. The last time he had a wet dream was back in high school and he was so sure that torture was over. 

He assessed his options. He could watch porn and masturbate but he didn't feel like having to watch a blonde with breast implants make exaggerated expressions. He could just ignore it but he also felt really uncomfortable and couldn't go back to sleep because of it. A cold shower could work but he also didn't want to get a cold.

Lance sighed knowing the only he could do to rid himself of this and just go to bed. He pulled down his boxers and cringed slightly at the cool air hitting his erection. After ripping open a small packet of lube from his nightstand and pooling it in his hand, he grabbed a hold of his dick and closed his eyes. 

There were many thoughts he could have to help him along, but he couldn't think of all of them for time's sake. He thought of Pidge underneath him as he kissed down her neck to her breasts, running his tongue over her nipples and slowly sucking on them, getting sighs out of her and a couple of curses. 

Lance pumped his gripped hand in a fluid up and down motion as he let his fantasy play out. He knew nothing would feel as good Pidge, but he had to make do with his hand. He let it continue with his lips traveling lower will he could bite and kiss at Pidge's thighs. He thought of her moaning while her hands locked in his hair. His hand pumped faster once he thought of himself starting to methodically lick at her pussy, tasting the fluids that flowed out of her and running it up to her clit.

“Fuck, Katie” He groaned as he felt the warmth start to build and his movements pick up faster

Lance thought of himself focusing on her clit, licking and sucking at her and she moaned and squirmed beneath him. He thought of her begging for him to keep going and her hips bucking with anticipation. He wanted this desperately. He wanted to have her come undone and moan for him. He wanted to taste her and draw out orgasm after orgasm.

Lance's body tensed as he felt himself cum onto his stomach, making a small mess on his hand and lower stomach. After laying in shock for a minute. Lance got up slowly and went to the bathroom. Sleep filled his senses as he cleaned himself up and washed his hands. 

As he crawled into bed, Lance felt the weight still in his stomach. He just crossed a line that for him went over the bounds of a simple crush. Sure it's not uncommon for people to masturbate, but even after that, he wanted Pidge even more. His feelings were becoming more and more clear. He truly wanted her. He wanted her to be his and he wanted to love and care for her. He never thought he would feel like that again. He grabbed his phone and thought for a minute. He had to get it off his chest. Maybe that would help him not obsess over his feelings for Pidge. Maybe all he really needed was just to let it all out before the dam broke. The thing was, he didn't want to let it out to her. 

**Lance:** Hey Hunk. I need to talk to you about something.

* * *

Hunk didn't get back to Lance until the following morning and Lance was already getting ready for work. Veronica had also messaged him that she dropped Ariela off at daycare for Lance.

 **Hunk:** Sure? What's up?

 **Lance:** I'll tell you later today. During break.

Lance had been put on a double shift back to back. He didn't have time to worry about telling Hunk just yet. He would have time during his break. Hunk worked during Lance's first shift so they would be able to see each other. 

Work was a pain. Lance was so glad this was only lasting a week. Lance was so drained and tired from last night but he knew his paycheck would be worth it. Maybe it would even be enough for him to afford to take some time off? He could spend more time with Ariela. He could actually spend more than half the day with her. They could be a normal family for once.

The thought of that actually managed to convince Lance to get through his first shift with no issues. Luckily, Hunk had the same break time as him so they snuck out to back so they could discuss what Lance wanted to talk about privately.

"Everything okay?" Hunk asked genuinely concerned for his friend. A random message in the middle of the night saying that Lance needed to talk to him was a little scary. The last time he got a message like that Lance told him he was going to be a father. 

Lance nervously ran his hand through his hair. "I have a bit of a problem. I had a dream about Pidge."

"Oh." That was all that Hunk said. Hunk instantly knew what Lance meant by that and he stared at his friend in understanding. He gave Lance a reassuring smile but it didn't seem to help Lance from being stressed out by it.

"I mean things are getting out of hand," Lance said somewhat frantically. Like anything short of romantic interest was this big scary monster. "I thought all of this was just some stupid crush and dreams are dreams. But after last night, I've realized that my feelings for Pidge are a bit deeper than that. It was the last thing I ever wanted."

"That's not a bad thing, buddy." Hunk said and he put a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder. "There's no reason to feel guilty about it."

Lance knew logically that that was true. Except right now, he was throwing all logic out the window. He was too freaked out by his emotions to even be thinking so clearly. His feelings for Pidge were more intense than he thought. The last time Lance ever got these types of feelings for someone, he lost them. He didn't want to lose anyone else like that again.

"But I do, Hunk. Ever since I met Pidge, she's constantly on my mind. I've also thought about what me moving on would mean for Ariela. When I think about that, I also think about Esme and how she would have wanted me to move on but I also feel like I would be betraying her and everything we had. You know. She was the first girl I ever truly loved." Lance admitted. "I feel so terrible about all of it. I mean I should be happy right. It means I'm moving on but instead I'm just scared. I just like Pidge so much and that terrifies me!"

"It'll be okay Lance." Hunk said as he wrapped his arm around Lance's shoulders. "I know things haven't been easy for you but look at how much you've accomplished. You have a stable job, a house, and you have a beautiful daughter who loves you. A little bit more good in your life isn't a crime."

For the first time, Lance's mind began to clear at Hunk's words. Perhaps he was right. Lance had a good life. Things were going so well for him and having feelings for Pidge shouldn't be something he should feel guilty about. He should be happy about it. That he was moving on with his life. That he was capable to possibly love someone again.

"You're right Hunk," Lance murmured. He then looked Hunk in the eye, smiled at him, and spoke a little louder. "Thanks."

Hunk smiled at Lance. He knew things wouldn't be easy for Lance and his feelings but this was a step in the right direction.

* * *

Friday had come quicker than Pidge had expected. She had convinced Allura to let her leave work early so she could meet up with her parents, Matt, and Shiro for dinner. After Matt and Shiro agreed to continue their engagement, Matt had called their parents and they had all agreed to go out to eat to celebrate the engagement. 

Pidge was not one to dress up too much for special occasions. She wasn't too fond of dresses, she preferred pants over anything, but she would wear one for her brother and Shiro. She found a plain, casual, long-sleeved, dark green dress to wear. It was simple and the only thing Pidge owned. She paired it with a simple necklace that Matt gave her for her birthday and a pair of light brown, heeled short boots that she owned. Pidge also to put on a little makeup and managed to fix up her hair a little and made it look neater than its messy state. 

Reservations were at 6:30 and Pidge had time to worry about feeding Bae Bae before her parents, Colleen and Sam, came by to pick her up. Pidge insisted on driving herself to the restaurant but she knew better than to argue with her parents. In truth, Pidge never really liked her parents coming over to her apartment. As much as she loved them, they had a tendency to baby her and worry about her living on her own. 

6 o clock came and as if right on schedule, Pidge heard a knock at her door. If there was one thing Pidge knew about her parents it was that they were always early for everything. Pidge opened it and greeted her mom and dad. They were both dressed very formally. Her mother was wearing her favorite pale pink dress and her father wore slacks, a nice button-up, and a tie. 

"Hey, mom. Hey dad." Pidge said as she gave them both quick hugs.

Her parents both gave her warm smiles.

"Ready to go, Katie?" Her dad, Sam, asked. "Don't want to keep your brother and Shiro waiting. They are meeting us at the restaurant." 

Pidge nodded and went with her parents to the restaurant. Pidge had never even heard or been to this restaurant before. All she knew was that her parents had been to it before and that it was said to be the best in the city. Pidge wasn't one for indoor dining. She mainly did take out or did very quick meals at home. The restaurant was about 20 minutes away from Pidge's apartment and very fancy-looking. The name "Vrepit Sal's" was in big neon white letters in the front and Pidge was starting to worry that she was underdressed for this celebration. 

Matt and Shiro were waiting inside, both dressed in their best clothes and waiting at the front for Pidge and her parents. The inside of the restaurant was beautiful. It was very modern with sleek white dining tables and equally sleek black chairs, chandelier-like, 3 dimensional light fixtures on the ceiling, and almost minimalist black and white decor to match the interior. Pidge began to feel very out of place being here.

"Right on time as always, Mom and Dad," Matt said as Shiro and him greeted them with hugs.

"What am I chopped liver?" Pidge quipped as she approached them.

"Ah yes," Matt said as he approached her with a smile on his face. "It's a miracle you're on time Pidge. If it wasn't for Mom and Dad here, I think you'd miss dinner altogether."

Pidge playfully reached up and ruffled Matt's hair to annoy him for making that comment. "Just because today is about you doesn't mean you have to be rude."

Matt laughed and hugged Pidge as did Shiro.

"Thank you for coming Pidge," Shiro said. "How's work been?"

"Same old same old. Kids being crazy and having to make sure they don't get into too much trouble." Pidge said. "Can't really complain though bc it's paying the bills. Keith wanted me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't make it. You know how he is. Always busy."

"I figured. " Shiro said. "I don't blame him though. For as long as I could remember, he's never been much of a celebration person. Always kept to himself."

Pidge and Keith had been friends since they were seven but that was all because of Shiro and Matt. Shiro's parents were friends with Keith's dad and that made Shiro and Keith practically brothers. When Shiro and Matt became friends, long before they got together, they had encouraged Pidge and Keith to be friends as well. Despite being two years apart in age, Matt had skipped a grade when he was younger, due to the fact he was super smart, so he was only a year behind Shiro when they met in middle school. It took Keith a bit of time to warm up to Pidge but it all worked out in the end. 

Within a matter of minutes after of checking in, Pidge and her family were finally called to their table. It was a nice round table at the center of the restaurant. Pidge and her family took their seats and settled in as they looked through their menus. 

"So." Colleen began as she glanced at Shiro and Matt. "You two need to tell me how this proposal happened? I mean I knew you'd been planning it for a while Matt but I just have to know how you did it."

Shiro and Matt's faces got red with slight embarrassment and Pidge couldn't help but smile behind her menu. She wondered what lie they would come up with.

"Yes, Matt," Pidge said in a smug voice causing Matt to give her a death stare. "Why don't you enlighten our parents on how you proposed to Shiro?"

"Oh...well. It just sort of happened." Matt said. "I mean, I had a plan but then I decided not to go through with it as I originally planned. There were many times where I planned on proposing but they never worked out. So on Saturday I just said screw it and proposed out of the blue."

 _A very convincing lie._ Pidge thought to herself.

Although Pidge knew it wasn't entirely a lie. Matt had vocalized to her multiple times how frustrated he was getting with his proposal plans not going through every time he planned something. He had told Pidge that he was very close to just doing it at random but Pidge knew her brother. He was a romantic at heart and wanted his proposal to be something memorable. In the end, it kinda was.

"That reminds me of how I proposed to you mother," Sam said fondly as he smiled at his wife. "It was about five years after we had gotten together and I had gotten a ring about six months prior. I always tried to find the perfect moment to do so but we both were always so busy with work. Then one day I had finally had enough and I proposed to her while she was gardening in the backyard. She just looked so beautiful among her plants that I decided to propose to her right then and there."

Shiro and Matt awed as Colleen gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek as she blushed at the memory. Pidge, of course, couldn't stand the PDA.

"Alright, guys." Pidge said sarcastically "We get it. You guys are in love. I'm very happy for you all. Now can we please look over the menu before our waiter gets here?"

Colleen gave Pidge a look which Pidge knew meant some sort of weird lecture that she did not want right now.

"Don't worry Katie," Colleen said. "Soon you'll find love and you won't be making those cheeky comments ever again."

Matt snickered at that comment.

"Pidge, dating?" Matt said "That'll be a miracle. Her last boyfriend was in high school and they only dated for three months. Pidge will be better off dating her computer than an actual person."

Shiro was about to make a comment but Pidge knew it was going to be a smart-ass comment about Lance. Keith had blabbed to him and all week long Shiro had been messaging her with thousands of questions. Pidge decided to quickly stop him by making her own comeback at her brother. 

"Maybe." Pidge snapped quietly. "At least I'll be able to change the world when I eventually make a robotic partner. I could make millions with an invention like that and then I'll have the last laugh." 

Matt and her parents laughed at that. Pidge then gave Shiro a look that made him understand to keep his mouth shut, at least for now. Pidge smiled down at her menu as her stomach growled. She couldn't wait to get her food and just have a good meal with her family.

"Good Evening," said a familiar voice "Is everyone ready to order?"

Pidge looked up at their server and locked eyes with Lance. They stared at each other and all Pidge could notice was Lance looked as if he's seen a ghost.

* * *

"Oh hey, Lance!" Shiro said enthusiastically. "I didn't know you worked here?"

Lance had snapped out of his trance and had to remind himself. He was at work. He had to work. Yet work, was the one place he thought he would never see Pidge and yet, here she was. The universe has a funny way of proving Lance wrong. She also wasn't alone, she was with who he could assume were her parents, Matt, and Shiro.

"Um..yeah," Lance said nervously. Yet he felt calm due to Shiro's reassuring smile. "Nice to you again, Shiro, Matt, and Pidge."

Matt briefly filled in his parents how they knew Lance. Only stating that he was a friend of Shay. Lance couldn't help but stare at Pidge as she gave him a kind smile. She was wearing a very pretty dress. Something that he would have never really expected her to wear. 

"So..what can I get for you all this fine evening?" Lance said as he remembered he was still working and didn't have time to make conversation.

Lance nervously, yet quickly wrote down their orders and practically ran back into the kitchen after getting the orders for Pidge and her family. His heart was racing and felt as though it was going to leap out of his chest. He was sweating a little and looked sick to his stomach. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Pidge, but after the dream he had of her, he felt dirty, even a little bit guilty. 

"Lance, you ok?" Asked Hunk who walked over and took the order he was holding out 

"Pidge and her family are here," Lance muttered, causing Hunk to look a little uneasy 

Despite Lance being clearly in shock, was surprisingly still doing everything that he needed to do in terms of his job. He knew he couldn't ask another waiter to take his table because it was one of the few that he was assigned to for the night. 

Lance managed to stay calm and cool going to his other tables. He was his usual charming self as he was putting down orders for his other tables of families and couples. He smiled and for a minute just seemed to breathe easy and forget about Pidge.

That all came to a halt when Hunk and the other chefs handed him the plates for Pidge's table. He put the five plates on a rolling cart and headed out to the table. The family looked content and happy chatting over their drinks and appetizers. Lance managed and smile and greeted them while they all looked eager to receive their meals

“Gotta say Lance” Shiro greeted as Lance set his plate in front of him “The fancy look is spiffy on you”

Shiro was referring to his uniform which was a suit without the blazer and a sleek black name tag. 

“I try,” Lance replied in his usual charming voice that he used at work, getting a laugh from Pidge and her family. Their laughter made Lance feel calmer. Still full of nerves, but calmer than before.

As he got to Pidge's plate, which was the last one, that ended. His body started to feel both tense and shake with nerves. He reached to set down the place, he got a quick scent of her perfume, his dream began to flood his mind and bring anxiety rushing to him. Lance set the plate down off to the side and knocked the glass of water sitting on the right side of Pidge as the glass shattered in contact with the floor causing gasps and his coworkers to notice and rush to clean the mess. Anger and embarrassment flooded through Lance.

“Shit!” he exclaimed “I’m so sorry” 

“Lance, it's ok” Matt reassured

“Yeah,” Mr. Holt said as well “Just an accident. Getting cleared up”

Lance could feel himself shaking. He knew it wasn't. Not to him. He was letting his thoughts and feelings get the better of him. Pidge looked at him with sympathy and concern. Lance backed away after saying a quick apology and quickly walked to the back. He walked by Sal’s office who was being informed of the incident. Sal, being the nice guy that he was. Understood and figured Lance was under some stress. He then gave Lance two options, get over it quickly and go back to work or step outside for a break and take as long as he needed until he could get back into a proper headspace to work efficiently. 

“I'm taking my break” Lance announced, making his decision final.

Sal gave him a nod of approval and he stepped out to the back of the restaurant being greeted with the cool breeze.

* * *

Pidge and her family ate their dinner while continuing their fun conversations. Colleen kept on giving Shiro and Matt ideas for the wedding, while Sam kept teasing her to leave them alone since they barely had gotten engaged. Pidge smiled at the warmth she felt while being with her family. The food was also very good. Pidge had ordered a dish called "Champignon Parmentier au Gratin" which was mushrooms with mashed potatoes and gruyere cheese on top. Her dad, Matt, and Shiro got some steak dish that she couldn't remember the name of and her mother got a seafood dish that Pidge also didn't know the name of. 

For her drink, her parents ordered red wine as a celebration for Shiro and Matt. However, dad and Shiro only had a few sips and continued to just drink water since it was clear they would be driving home tonight. 

Pidge had a nagging feeling going off inside her head. She felt bad for how things went with Lance. She could tell something was bugging him because he hadn't returned to check up on them and one of his co-workers did. Pidge decided that she needed to get some fresh air, just to clear her mind at the thought of Lance. She politely excused herself stating she had to use the bathroom but went through the side exit that was there in case customers needed to get some air or go outside for outdoor seating. 

Pidge wandered away from the tables outside and turned a corner to the back of the restaurant. She slightly shivered at the cool air that she felt but she didn't mind as much. As Pidge turned the corner, she noticed Lance was standing by a back exit. He looked like he was trying to catch his breath or at least regulate his breathing. He looked like he was sweating and his hair was slightly messy. He didn't seem to notice Pidge until she called his name.

"Lance?" she said quietly. "You okay?"

Lance looked slightly startled at the sight of her. Like he had seen a ghost again.

"Um...yeah." He said but Pidge wasn't buying it. He could tell she wasn't buying it. 

Pidge walked closer to him and stood next to him. She didn't face him though. She just stood there like she was waiting for him to vent out what was actually bugging him.

"I, uh, want to say that I'm sorry." Lance slowly said as he fumbled to not mess up his words.

Pidge looked up at him confused. What was he sorry about?

"I know I haven't been exactly the nicest. I've been acting strange and it's completely not fair to you. Especially since you've been so kind to me." Lance continued as he looked down and played with his hands.

Pidge didn't know how to respond to that. While it was true, Lance was acting weird, she didn't think he needed to apologize for it. So her only response was to laugh. Lance was a little bit taken aback by her laughter. Did he say something funny?

"I'm sorry," Pidge said in between laughter. "Oh, man! You are so weird. Why are you apologizing? You have nothing to be sorry for Lance. I think you are doing fine just the way you are. Sure you're not exactly Mr. perfect when it comes to a conversation but I don't mind."

Lance felt his heartbeat quicken at the sound of her laughter. He was relieved that she wasn't exactly offended by his distant behavior but she did think he was weird and somewhat antisocial. Which was further from the truth.

"Well, that's a relief," Lance said with a smile. "So, not to sound rude, but what are you, Shiro, and Matt doing here? Just decided to go out for the night or..?"

"Oh well, after that night at the bar when Hunk helped me take them back to my place. Matt proposed to Shiro drunk." Pidge explained "They talked in the morning afterward and agreed to stay engaged. I mean it's not that big of a surprise to me because Matt has been planning this for a while now. We are celebrating tonight."

Lance's face lightened up at the news and Pidge felt her heartbeat quicken. Why did he have to be so cute?

"That's great news! I wish them the best." Lance said. 

The two of them stood outside talking for about fifteen minutes. They got to know each other a bit more. Lance learned that Pidge hated peanuts but loved peanut butter and peanut butter cookies. That she was working on some big project for the Garrison Tech Program. He loved watching her face light up while talking about her passions. He could feel himself falling for her deeper and deeper. Pidge was feeling the same, except unlike Lance, she ignored those feelings and just focused on getting to know Lance.

She learned that he wanted to be a pilot when he was younger and still did in a way but was content where he was in life. She also learned that his family lived in Cuba and that he missed them dearly. She liked the way he talked about his family. It was very reminiscent of the way she felt for hers. Pidge took in the way the moonlight shined on them as they talked and how pretty it was for a summer night.

Lance fought off every urge he had to kiss her. Pidge was practically glowing as they talked. Her hair looked soft in the light and he kept on getting small whiffs of her perfumes. He found himself lost in her eyes as they shined with happiness. 

Their conversation broke when Pidge's phone went off. She looked down and noticed that it was a text from Matt. He was asking where she went. Pidge quickly replied back making some bullshit excuse and gave Lance a slightly sad look. 

"I have to get going." She said. "Matt is asking where I went. Can't keep him and Shiro waiting."

Lance nodded in understanding. "Before you go, I'd like to give you my number. You know, so we could talk and maybe hang out one of these days. I'm still dying to see your edition of Killbot and your system."

Pidge smiled at Lance and they quickly exchanged numbers. As weird as it was for them to think about the idea of seeing each other outside of their random run-ins or if it had to do with Ariela, they were happy to at least be getting somewhere as friends.

Lance watched Pidge as she walked back inside to be with her family. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of her. He was feeling a lot better to go back inside and continue working for the night. At least now he could sleep a little better knowing that Pidge was his friend. Sure, it didn't help his feelings for her but being her friend seemed better than being nothing to him. For now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until next time! Feel free to leave a comment and kudos!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Just wanted to remind you that comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. I enjoy getting feedback on how you feel about the fic. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter!

** Lance: ** Do you, by chance, know how to get an ink stain out of clothes?

** Pidge:  ** How did that happen? Also aren't you working right now?

** Lance: ** Nope. I only had night shifts for a week. I'm now back to my usual schedule. Ariela took apart one of my pens out of curiosity and ruined her clothes.

** Pidge: ** Oh that makes sense. Can't help you with the ink question. Never happened to me before. Try google.

** Lance: ** Wow I'm dumb. Should've done that first instead of talking to you.

** Pidge: ** Lol. I don't mind.

** Lance: ** :)

It had been only five days since Lance and Pidge had exchanged numbers and they had been talking almost daily. Pidge would usually just check in with a casual hi and their conversations would progress throughout a couple of days. They both were constantly busy to actually have a full-blown conversation then and there. Lance didn't mind though. He enjoyed talking to Pidge whenever he could.

Lance sighed as he finished changing Ariela out of her dirty clothes. He felt stressed and a little and bad about the whole thing. Just moments ago he had to raise his voice at Ariela for making a mess. Ariela cried a little bit at him as he put her on a time-out. After five minutes, he walked over to her and kneeled in from of her.

"Time is up Ariela." He said and Ariela sadly nodded as she got up from her spot.

"Okay, Papa." She said softly.

Before she exited the room, Lance pulled her in for a hug.

"Next time you need to be careful." Lance said "You could have gotten very sick if that ink got into your mouth. Do you understand?"

Ariela nodded and hugged Lance back.

"Good," Lance said and he kissed her forehead. "Now go downstairs and watch some tv while I clean up and get some dinner ready."

Ariela nodded and walked out of her room and went to the living room. Lance found a method to get the ink out of Ariela's clothes and soaked them in a homemade solution he found online. Sal had given him a new time for his shifts so he could spend at least a little bit more time with Ariela than he usually did. His new schedule was 10 am to 6 pm every Monday through Friday, he finally got Saturdays off which was nice and meant he could spend more time with Ariela, and work on Sundays from 11 am to 5 pm. His new schedule made Lance happy and felt like he would still be a part of Ariela's life. Before, he had barely had any time for his daughter and worked every day. Lance hoped that this new work shift would be permanent. 

Once Lance finished soaking Ariela's clothes, he made a quick dinner for both him and Ariela to eat. He opted for spaghetti and kept an eye on Ariela as she peacefully watched tv for the night. 

"Okay Ariela," Lance called from the kitchen as he served Ariela her plate. "Dinner is ready."

Ariela silently took a seat and stared at the plate Lance had given her. Lance could tell something was bothering her.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked his daughter.

Ariela looked at him with a blank expression that quickly turned into a light form of sadness.

"I'm sorry about the clothes Papa," Ariela said

Lance quietly sighed. He could tell him yelling still stuck with his daughter.

"It's okay, princess." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "Accidents happen. Now eat your dinner so we can get you ready for bed soon." 

Ariela nodded and began to eat her food. Lance ate too and there was a peaceful silence between the two. That was until Ariela spoke again.

"Papa?" Ariela said quietly. "Can I go visit Pidgey one of these days and see Bae Bae?"

"Maybe." Lance said, "Since I now have Saturdays off, I could ask her if it's okay if we could stop by."

Ariela gave a small cheer in response and continue to happily eat her food. In truth, Lance didn't know how Pidge would react to him asking her that. Sure they were somewhat friends, or at least he'd like to think they were. They had been texting each other almost every single day but he didn't know how she would react to him and Ariela inviting themselves over to her apartment. 

Soon, dinner was over and Lance took Ariela upstairs to get ready for bed even if it was a little early. Ariela didn't argue though which Lance was thankful for. She did seem pretty tired from the day she had. Lance helped her change into pajamas, brush her teeth, and decided to read her a story for bed.

"What will it be tonight princess?" He asked as Ariela cuddled with the toy bear that she had since the day she was born.

"Forever." was Ariela's only response as she rubbed her tired eyes.

Lance knew exactly what she meant by that. It was the book  _ Love You Forever  _ by Robert Munsch. It was Ariela's favorite book and Esme used to read it when she was pregnant with Ariela. Lance used to despise reading it because it would make him think of Esme but now he grew to tolerate it for Ariela's sake.

Lance picked up the book and began to read to Ariela

"A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth." Lance began as he smiled sweetly at his daughter.

* * *

"Damnit!" Pidge exclaimed as she grew frustrated with her project.

Her robot that she was planning for the Garrison was not turning out the way that she had hoped. She thought it was complete but when she tried to turn it on, nothing happened. It was back to the drawing board for Pidge. It was another Saturday morning and Pidge was growing super stressed with her robot. The deadline for new Garrison applications were in October. Pidge still had time considering it was the end of June but she still wanted everything to be perfect.

Pidge pulled herself together and decided to take a quick shower. It was a hot summer morning and Pidge was burning up in her room. Bae Bae patiently stood by the bathroom door as Pidge quickly cleaned herself, getting rid of all the smelly sweat she had accumulated on herself and she washed her hair. Pidge contemplated what she could do for the rest of the day. It was barely 11:00 am. She could take it easy and do nothing or she could find something to keep her busy. She knew that she didn't want to take another look at that dumb robot for the rest of the day. She was too stressed. 

Pidge changed into a pair of high-waisted shorts, a black sports bra under a burnt orange, cropped muscle tank top, and her favorite sneakers. Pidge scrolled through her phone aimlessly as she laid down on her bed waiting for her hair to dry. She could call Allura and see if she was free for the day. It had been a while since they spent a girls' day together. Pidge had also considered messaging Lance to see how he was doing. In truth, Pidge had hoped that at some point before Saturday, Lance would have suggested him coming over so she could casually invite him and Ariela over.

Just as Pidge hovered her finger over Lance's contact, her phone rang and she was getting an incoming call from Lance himself. Pidge shot up from laying down and slight panic set in as she quickly answered the phone.

"Hello?" Pidge said shyly.

"Hey, Pidge!" She heard Lance say except he sounded very stressed and frantic. "I need a huge favor. I know this is a lot to ask but I was wonder if you could come over and watch Ariela for me. There was an accident at work and they need me to come in and take a shift. I can't find anyone to watch her, Veronica is out of town, Hunk is working, and Shay is at a doctor's appointment. So I'd really appreciate it if-"

"Lance!" Pidge shouted over the phone to stop him from rambling. "I'm on my way. Just send me your address."

There was a short silence on the other line and Pidge grew slightly concerned until Lance finally responded.

"Thank you. You can even bring Bae Bae over. I have a big backyard that she could run around in."

Pidge smiled at that. She said a quick goodbye to Lance and grabbed her things as well as some things for Bae Bae to play around with while she was watching Ariela. Pidge even find her damp hair a bit so she didn't look like she had rolled out of the shower when she got to Lance's house. Pidge rushed to her car with Bae Bae on her leash and drove as fast as she could to Lance's place. Luckily for her, he didn't live too far than she had expected. It was only about a 20-minute drive away. She pulled up to a nice blue suburban house that just screamed a perfect home. The whole neighborhood was perfect. Pidge got out of the car and led Bae Bae to the front door. Pidge knocked and was immediately greeted by Lance who looked very stressed and was wearing his work uniform.

"Thanks again," Lance said as he allowed Pidge to enter the house. "I should be home by 7:00. I left Ariela's car seat out in the garage in case you need it for any reason. She's allowed to go to the park. She prefers the one downtown, you know the one we saw each other at. I have all her emergency contacts on the fridge in case something happens and I'm not able to answer, you know after you've called 911 or Poison Control. There's also a house key on the kitchen counter for you to use if you do decide to leave with her at any point while I'm gone. She's also not allowed to have any sugar past 6:00 but I figured you'd probably give her dinner by then. Feel free to use whatever you'd like in the kitchen and make yourself feel at home." 

Before Pidge could answer she felt a heavy force cling onto her leg. She looked down and saw a smiling Ariela. Bae Bae wagged her tail excitedly as she smelled Ariela.

"Pidgey!" Ariela cheered. "I'm so happy you are here."

Pidge smiled and patted Ariela's head.

"Ariela. I'm going to need you to be on your best behavior while I'm gone. I'll be home by dinner time." Lance said as he kneeled in front of his daughter.

"Okay, Papa!" Ariela said as she gave Lance a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. 

Lance smiled at Ariela and gave Pidge a quick wave goodbye as he ran out the door to his car. Pidge stood there for a moment to process the quick exchange she just had with Lance. She then looked down at Ariela who was giving Bae Bae pets on her head. 

"So, Ariela what do you say we take Bae Bae outside to the backyard to run around for a bit," Pidge said suggested. 

"Yeah!." Ariela exclaimed as she ran to put on shoes to go outside. 

Pidge quickly grabbed some water bottles from the fridge and filled a bowl with water for Bae Bae. It was a hot summer day so she figured it would be best to keep Ariela, Bae Bae, and herself hydrated while they played outside.

The backyard was beautiful. There was a nicely shaded wooden porch that opened up to the very green backyard. There was a swing set under a huge tree on one end and at the other was a pretty garden with lots of flowers and a few fruits and vegetables. There was also a concrete area with a grill and a patio table with an umbrella for shade. The backyard was enclosed in a tall, white picket fence. Pidge felt like she could spend hours out here just admiring its beauty. 

Pidge sat on the porch steps and watched as Ariela chased after Bae Bae who ran around to explore the backyard. Pidge didn't worry as much about Bae Bae ruining the lovely backyard. Bae Bae was well trained at not destroying flowers and digging up holes from the time she spent at Pidge's parents' house. Ariela giggled as she ran after Bae Bae. Her long, brown pigtails flying in the wind, and her big brown eyes were filled with wonder and excitement.

It was a sight that made Pidge's heart melt. She loved the fact that Ariela was such a happy kid. Even at daycare, she was always one to have a smile on her face and never throw a tantrum. After about 20 minutes of running around, Ariela sat next to Pidge panting and sweating.

"You thirsty?" Pidge asked as she opened a cold water batter for Ariela.

"Yes," Ariela said as she tried as to catch her breath.

She then took the water bottle from Pidge and took tiny drinks from it. Bae Bae walked towards her bowl and drank some water as well.

"Pidgey?" Ariela asked as she finished her last drink of water.

Pidge turned to face Ariela as the child looked up at her with curiosity.

"Yeah, kiddo? What's up?" Pidge asked.

"Are you and Papa friends?” 

"Of course. Why do you ask?”

"The only friends who come are Uncle Hunk and Auntie Shay”

Pidge was stumped for a minute. Ariela never really asked her such daunting questions that weren't about science. 

"Well of course I'm a friend!” Pidge said as enthusiastically as possible “Your Papa is just very careful about sharing how wonderful you are.”

"Can you come over every weekend? I like playing with you and Bae Bae."Ariela asked as she gave Pidge a cheeky smile.

Pidge smiled at Ariela. She already saw her practically every day at daycare. Yet, this child couldn't get enough of her. If Pidge was being honest, she wouldn't mind being around Ariela just a little more. Ariela was very smart and very kind and Pidge truly liked being around her. 

"We'll see," Pidge said as she wiped a little bit of sweat off of Ariela's forehead and Ariela smiled even wider at her response.

“Can we play airplane?!” Ariela squealed reaching for Pidge giggling

“Hop on kiddo!” Pidge replied holding her arms out.

She laid Ariela on her stomach in her arms and started to carefully run around the grass in the backyard. Ariela squealed and giggled with delight and Pidge pushed her energy to keep up the game for as long as possible. After a while, she got Ariela on the swings until she got tired and eventually wanted to go inside. 

Around 1:30, Pidge looked around the fridge to see what she could make for dinner. However, Lance didn't have a lot of options. In fact, he was even running low on some items. 

"Hey, Ariela," Pidge called from the kitchen. Ariela was coloring in the living room while Bae Bae napped near her.

"Yes, Pidgey," Ariela said as she wandered into the kitchen.

"How do you feel about going to the store with me?" Pidge asked, "I want to get a few things for dinner."

"Okay!" Ariela said as turned around and walked out of the kitchen "I get my shoes on."

Pidge smiled and grabbed her purse, keys, and Ariela's car seat that Lance left for her. Pidge even sent Lance a text so he wouldn't be surprised when he came home later.

** Pidge:  ** Heading out with Ariela. Going to the store to get some things for dinner. Also, you are low on eggs, milk, and orange juice.

Ariela ran back to the kitchen where Pidge was, ready to go. Pidge smiled at her and they both walked out of the house to Pidge's car. Pidge put in the car seat as safely and as quickly as she could, so Ariela wouldn't be standing outside of the car for so long and buckled Ariela in the car. Pidge then got in the driver's seat and looked up any stores nearby that she could go to. There was a grocery store that was 10 minutes away and with that, Pidge put it in her GPS and drove to the store.

Pidge had forgotten what it was like to have another person in the car with her. She found herself constantly looking through her mirror to check on Ariela who was peacefully looking out the window. Once they got to the store, Pidge put Ariela in the cart and they went around the store to get the items Pidge needed. 

"Alright kiddo," Pidge said as she pushed the cart into one of the isles. "We got milk, eggs, juice, potatoes, pot roast, and some veggies. All we need is some seasonings, and a few more items. Is there anything else you could think of that I'm forgetting?"

Ariela pondered for a moment. 

"Oh, can we get some popsicles? Papa loved the mango ones, He'll be so happy when we surprise him with them." Ariela said happily.

Pidge giggled at that and nodded.

"Mango popsicles sound delicious. I'm sure Papa will love them." Pidge said

Ariela laughed happily and Pidge smiled at her. Suddenly an elderly lady who had just passed them stopped and said something. 

"Well, aren't you adorable!" She said as she looked at Ariela then she looked at Pidge and gave her a kind smile. "You have a beautiful daughter."

"Thank you," Ariela said as the lady wandered off. 

Pidge was about to correct the old lady but she was already gone.

Ariela giggled “She was funny Pidgey!”

Pidge blushed slightly at the thought of Ariela being mistaken for her daughter and she just continued to shop around the store in silence. Little did she know that something was going on in Ariela's head. 

Ariela had been without a mother for so long. She had only seen what a mother was supposed to be like in movies. She also idolized Pidge and liked the fact that the old lady called her Pidge's daughter, then it hit the four-year-old all at once! Pidge could be her mother. Her dad and Pidge were friends and Pidge liked being around her. All she had to do was make sure they fell in love. Like a prince and a princess. It would be perfect.

* * *

Lance walked into his house completely drained from his shift. Since he came in when he had the day off, Sal decided to give him Sunday off as a thank you. Then Lance would go back to his regular schedule. Lance was grateful for that and was glad to be home after working for a few hours. Lance was greeted at the door by Bae Bae and Lance gave her some pets on her head.

"I'm home," Lance announced and he suddenly heard the patter of Ariela's footsteps running towards him.

"Papa!" Ariela cheered as she launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. 

Lance returned the hug and spun Ariela around which caused her to giggle profusely. He then noticed Pidge standing in the hallway nearby and smiling at the sight in front of her. Lance then set Ariela down and he greeted Pidge.

"So how did everything go?" He asked. "Did she behave? I got your text and you didn't have to go shopping for me but I greatly appreciate it."

Pidge smiled at Lance and Lance felt his stomach fill with butterflies because of the look in her eyes. God, she was so beautiful.

"We got popsicles for you, Papa!" Ariela said excitedly. "Pidge also made a yummy dinner. I already ate but Pidge hasn't yet. She said she wasn't hungry. You should eat some too! It's very yummy." 

Ariela then ran off, leaving the two adults alone. Lance stared at Ariela curiously. What had gotten into his daughter?

"She did well," Pidge said as she smiled at Lance. "I made some pot roast with mashed potatoes and some roasted carrots, asparagus, and zucchini."

Lance felt himself groan internally at the sound of that. She could cook too! Was there anything this woman wasn't good at?!

"Sounds great," Lance said. "Also please stay and eat some dinner too. I would hate for you to leave on an empty stomach."

"Alright," Pidge said as she gave Lance a kind smile. "I guess I could eat something."

Pidge and Lance went to the kitchen and served themselves a plate. Lance felt his mouth water at the smell and sight of the food. He knew it would taste just as good. Pidge and Lance walked into the dining room only to stop at the sight in front of them the table was covered in freshly picked flowers from the garden and there was a battery-operated candle in the middle that looked like it was supposed to create a romantic aura. Lance blushed at the sight and knew that it was the work of his daughter. He would need to talk with her later. She had been acting weird ever since they had the conversation about her having a mother someday.

Pidge, however, seemed unfazed and sat down and began to eat her food. Lance sat across from her and ate in silence. His tastebuds screamed with joy as he took a bit of the food Pidge made. It was so flavorful and was almost able to give Hunk a run for his money. 

"This is very delicious Pidge," Lance said. "I think Hunk may have some competition."

Pidge laughed at that statement.

"Why thank you, Lance." She said as she took a drink of some water. "Although I highly doubt I would be able to beat Hunk. He is a professional chef."

Lance smiled at her and continued to eat. It was nice to have a meal with someone else that wasn't his sister or Ariela. He wondered if Pidge felt the same way. Pidge then finished her food and waited for Lance to finish his food before taking his plate. Or at least trying to because Lance quickly took the dirty dishes from her hand.

"Nope." He said. "You are a guest in my house and I am going to treat you as such. You've already done enough for today."

Pidge being stubborn as usual. Tried to get the dishes out of his hands.

"Come on Lance." Pidge said "A few dishes isn't going to hurt me. You've also had a long afternoon at work."

Lance smirked at Pidge as she ran around him trying to get the dishes from him. He then shot his hand up in the air, placing the dishes above his head. This caused Pidge to try and get them but couldn't due to her stature.

"That's so not fair!" Pidge exclaimed as she tried to reach for them. Lance laughed, she looked very annoyed yet adorable trying to get the dishes away from him. 

Lance wandered off into the kitchen only to have Pidge ambush him by jumping on his back as she tried to reach for the plates. She was strong and the force of her almost made Lance fall on his face but he managed to pull through and keep his balance.

"What the hell, Pidge?!" Lance exclaimed as he fumbled to keep the dishes out of her reach. 

Pidge tangled her limbs around his and tried to reach for the dishes with one of her arms. 

"Just give up Lance." she cackled. Lance could tell that she found this whole thing to be funny. "Just let me handle the dishes and I will get off of you. You are making this a lot harder than it has to be."

"You're insane," Lance remarked as he tried to shake her off his back, which only caused Pidge to laugh harder. Lance did as well but only because her laugh was contagious. "Can't you just let me do one nice thing for you?"

"Nope!" Pidge giggled as she tried to grab the plates at a different angle, almost choking Lance in the process.

"Okay! This is going nowhere." Lance said as he almost reached the kitchen sink. "How about we compromise? I wash and you dry?"

Pidge stopped for a moment and deliberated on taking his offer. She then jumped off of Lance's back and adjusted her glasses. 

"Fine," she said and the two of them worked on cleaning the dishes together. 

Pidge also put the remaining food away in Tupperware for Lance and Ariela to have. Pidge didn't like to assume but she knew Lance was stressed with work from time to time so a few leftovers could probably help him not worry so much. Lance didn't say it but he was grateful to have Pidge around today. He was worried she'd get upset by him asking her to watch Ariela today because she did it during the weekday. 

As they finished cleaning the kitchen, there was an awkward silence between them. Lance didn't know what to say to her. Every time he tried to find some way to make conversation, he just kept getting lost by looking at her. He hated how difficult he found it to talk to her. 

"I wanted to say thank you again. I don't know what I would've done if I couldn't find someone to watch Ariela." Lance had managed to say and Pidge's golden eyes shined into his as she smiled at him.

"You don't need to thank me, Lance." She said sincerely. "I loved hanging out with Ariela. Bae Bae enjoyed running around your backyard and loves Ariela. Maybe next time you could join us."

Pidge then tied her short hair back into a small ponytail. Lance assumed she was probably hot, it was a very warm night and Lance hadn't turned on the air conditioner. He probably should do that. Lance found himself, once again, getting lost by looking at her. Her crop top peaked up a little bit as she held up her arms which caused her stomach to poke out revealing her white, freckled stomach. Lance averted his eyes back up to her face and felt himself blush slightly.

"I'd like that," Lance said as he walked over to her, facing her. "It seems like Ariela had a fun time with you. I'm sure she's going to beg to see you outside of daycare again."

Pidge smiled softly at that and looked up at Lance. Once again there was a silence among them. Their eyes met and Lance felt his heart beating out of his chest and a familiar warmth come over him. He wished time would stop so he could just spend hours staring at her. He knew that wanting that wasn't good for their newly developed friendship at the moment, but Lance was ready to just say fuck it. Even it would destroy everything between them. Lance couldn't explain it but he felt like there was some sort of magnetic pull suddenly on them and he was certain that they were getting closer to each other. Lance felt his face bending down slowly to meet hers and she was leaning up. Faces only inches apart and Lance felt hypnotized by the way Pidge looked at him. 

"I should probably get going," Pidge said softly. Her eyes filled with intense uncertainty. "I need to keep working on my Garrison entry project."

"Yeah," Lance mumbled as his gaze began to intensify.

Despite this exchange, neither one of them moved. Maybe time truly had stopped. Until Ariela came into the kitchen chasing after Bae Bae who came in Lance suddenly pulled himself away from Pidge. Snapping out of the trance he was under.

"Can I have a popsicle Papa?" Ariela asked, completely ignoring the tension that was created between the two adults.

"Well I normally don't allow sweets after 6:00 but since you did so well with Pidge today, I think you deserve it," Lance said as he walked to the freezer and grabbed a mango popsicle.

"Is Pidgey staying?" Ariela asked as she grabbed the popsicle from her dad.

"I can't tonight kiddo," Pidge said as she kneeled in front of Ariela. "I have to get home. But, I'll see you on Monday and I have a very cool science experiment planned."

Ariela looked sad for a moment but perked up when she heard about Pidge planning a cool science experiment on Monday. Lance smiled at that. At least Ariela didn't throw a tantrum about Pidge leaving. 

"Okay!" Ariela exclaimed and she hugged Pidge. "Bye Pidgey! I'll see you Monday!"

Pidge hugged Ariela back and grabbed her and Bae Bae's things so they could leave. 

"Thanks for having me over. I put Ariela's car seat in the garage for you. " Pidge said as she looked at Lance. "I had a great time. Come on Bae Bae."

"See ya around Pidge," Lance said and he watched as Bae Bae followed Pidge out the door. He stood there for a moment just taking in the moment that they shared before Ariela walked into the kitchen.

He wondered if they would have kissed if they weren't interrupted. Maybe it was dumb to hope for that. They were friends. Or at least trying to be but Lance knew deep down that he didn't want that. He wanted them to be more than that. His thoughts were then interrupted as he noticed that Ariela was staring at him. He then remembered the little stunt she pulled with the dining room table.

"Alright young lady," Lance said in a slightly firm voice. "You want to tell me why you decorated the table like a romance movie."

Ariela had seen enough kid-friendly romance films to know about dating. Sure she was four, almost five, but she caught on to things very quickly. Lance was a sucker for romance as well. Or at least he used to be. He wouldn't be surprised if Ariela inherited this trait. She was a very affectionate child.

"I was just playing restaurant Papa," Ariela said innocently.

Lance, for some reason, didn't believe her. Her favorite movie recently was _ The Parent Trap _ thanks to Veronica. He decided to drop it for now. After all, it was one incident. It's not like his own daughter was trying to set him up. Or was she?

* * *

Pidge spent the remainder of her weekend thinking about her time with Ariela and Lance. She kept racking through her brain trying to explain the little moments between her and Lance. She was 65% sure that they had almost kissed again after dinner. She didn't want to believe it but she could tell that they kept on having moments together recently that were far from friendship. 

Working on Monday wasn't much help either. She managed to get through the day without talking to Ariela about Saturday. Instead, Ariela was too busy playing with other kids or being a good listener during storytime. It was now 5:30 and Allura, Shay, and Romelle were cleaning up for the day. Hunk had gotten out of work early and picked up Ariela so Shay could take her time cleaning up after work instead of worrying about getting Ariela home like she usually did.

Pidge assumed that her thoughts were taking over her because her co-workers decided to say something as she mindlessly was wiping down the tables.

"Something on your mind Pidge?" Romelle asked as she stared at Pidge with her dark blue eyes. 

Like, Allura, Romelle was very ethereal looking. She had long, blonde hair and also looked like a princess. I mean it didn't surprise Pidge too much, Allura and Romelle were cousins so they clearly had amazing genes.

"I'm fine Romelle," Pidge said. Of course Romelle, Shay and Allura weren't truly buying it.

"You've been cleaning the same area for 10 minutes," Shay said.

Pidge suddenly stopped and put down the rag and cleaning spay that she was holding. Okay, maybe she wasn't doing as well as she thought.

"You can talk to us Pidge," Romelle said sweetly. "Is it the Garrison again?"

Pidge had vented out her frustrations with getting into the Garrison program many times. Her co-workers were always there to listen to her and understood her or at least tried to. But the topic of boys and Pidge being interested in someone was uncharted territory.

"How do you get over feelings for someone?" Pidge blurted out.

Pidge saw everyone's eyes widen at her. Shit. She could've just kept her mouth shut. She didn't like this attention she was getting. Yes, she liked Lance but Pidge didn't have time to worry about her feelings. The Garrison was her main goal. Not finding someone.

"OOOO! Pidge you have a crush!" Romelle cheered as she hugged Pidge. "Do tell?" 

Shay and Allura stood closer around the Pidge and Romelle, eager to hear this information as well.

"It's not that big of a deal." Pidge murmured as Romelle let go of Pidge. "I don't even want to pursue anything. It's nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing," Allura said as she gave Pidge a look.

Allura could read Pidge so easily, nothing could get past her. Pidge honestly hated that quality about Allura sometimes, especially right now. Pidge groaned as they all looked at her in anticipation. She was never comfortable being the center of attention. Pidge then gave Shay a look as if not to comment on what she was about to say.

"So...you guys know Lance right?" Pidge softly said as she looked down at the ground. Almost as if she was ashamed in some weird way about the whole thing.

Allura, Romelle, and Shay silently listened as Pidge explained to them how she and Lance met again at the park after work one day. How she kept running into him almost every week. How she almost kissed him that night at the bar. How much she enjoyed being around him and how much that scared her.

"And then we almost kissed again after I stayed for dinner," Pidge said. "I just couldn't say no. It was almost as if I had lost all control of myself. I don't know what to do anymore. He's a great guy but I just can't be in a relationship. I'm too scatterbrained and awkward for him. I'm a mess half the time trying to get into the Garrison and I'll practically never make any time for him. It wouldn't be fair. Not to him and especially not Ariela."

Pidge had finished her rant and didn't even realize how much the whole thing was troubling her until she felt a small tear fall from her cheek. Allura put a comforting hand on Pidge's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile.

"This will all pass Pidge," Allura said as she wrapped her arm around Pidge's shoulder. "But you have to think about what you'll be missing out on if you spend all of your time worrying about this. We just don't want you to regret this in the future."

Romelle and Shay nodded in agreement. Pidge sniffed slightly and wiped her face clean, trying to calm down and regulate her emotions.

"Lance is a great guy," Shay said. "Even if you decide to just be friends with him. He will always be there for you. No matter what." 

Pidge knew being friends with Lance would be the most difficult thing she would ever go through. She just hoped things would get better in the end.

"I think I just needed to get all of that off my chest," Pidge said. She was lying of course because she truly did not want to go future into this conversation. "I feel a lot better. Thanks for listening you guys."

Allura squeezed Pidge's shoulder and Shay and Romelle smiled at her. 

"Of course Pidge."Allura said, "We'll always be here if you need to talk."

Pidge smiled at them and resumed cleaning up for the day. Even though her feelings were still messing with her, she knew that things would eventually work out for her. She just needed to focus on her life and not her feelings. Pidge was good at making friends and if that's what she and Lance were supposed to be then fate would find a way.

Before Pidge gathered her things to leave, Shay approached her with a big smile on her face and her brown eyes shining with joy.

"Before you leave Pidge, Hunk wanted me to formally invite you over to our place," Shay said as she flashed a pearly white smile.

Pidge chuckled at Shay for being her adorable self.

"Sure. When? I can't tonight. I have to check on Bae Bae before she gets too lonely." Pidge said.

"Oh no, not tonight." Shay said "We are throwing a 4th of July party at our place on Saturday. So far we've invited Keith, Allura, Romelle, and we were hoping you could ask Shiro and Matt for us. We never got their numbers after that night at the bar but we loved hanging out with them. Oh and before you ask, yes Lance will be there but don't worry. I'll be there if you need me. Also, you can bring Bae Bae with you. We have a nice backyard. We live near the same neighborhood Lance lives in."

Pidge reluctantly agreed to still go. She couldn't say no to Shay. Plus they managed to get Keith to come over. It's a miracle she sees him once a month. Sure Lance would be there but so would her friends. She could always fall back on them if she got overwhelmed and it was a party. She wouldn't be spending all her time with Lance. She just had to keep reminding herself that it would all be okay.

Things would work out in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it. We love some good old fashioned pining and conflicted feelings. I find Ariela's scheming to be quite cute. Again, feel free to comment and leave a kudos. Until next time!


End file.
